In Zimbabwe, Cecil the lion was famous and beloved. He was a 13-year-old male lion who was the main feature at Hwange National Park. Officials believe he was baited into leaving the park sanctuary:
"He never bothered anybody. He was one of the most beautiful animals to look at."
The lion had been "baited" out of the park, a tactic which hunters used to portray their action as legal, Mr Rodrigues said.
Once on private property, he was shot with a bow and arrow. Unfortunately, his life did not end quickly:
However, the lion, which had a distinctive black mane, did not die immediately and was followed for more than 40 hours before it was shot with rifle, Mr Rodrigues said.
The hunter then beheaded and skinned him. Officials are now saying they
know who the hunter is and that he paid $55,000 to hunt near the park:
Walter Palmer, a dentist from Minnesota, is believed to have paid £35,000 to shoot and kill the much-loved lion with a bow and arrow. The animal was shot on July 1 in Hwange National Park. Two independent sources have confirmed the hunter's identity to the paper, which has also seen a copy of the relevant hunting permit.
The hunting guide and landowner who escorted Palmer is already facing charges and locals want harsh penalties:
"They should be charged with poaching," he said. "If you're a local and you kill an animal without a licence you get between two and five years in prison."
This was not Walter Palmer's first big game hunting trip. You can see photos of him and several of the endangered animals he's shot around the world at
The Telegraph.
Video of the majestic Cecil below the fold.
7:43 AM PT: A tragic update:
Cecil now leaves behind a pride of lions, including females with whom he mated and 24 of his cubs. Those cubs, preservationists say, will now likely be killed by other lions.
Johnny Rodrigues, the chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, told Mashable on Monday that the loss of Cecil is a "total tragedy," and that the hunt was "absolutely illegal."
"It’s a tragedy that we are taking something that belongs to future generations and shooting these animals just because somebody is on an ego trip and they can afford it," Rodrigues said. "How do you bait an animal out of its habitat to kill it and consider it legal?"