Walter J. Palmer, a dentist in the Twin Cities area, has been the target of hatred on the Internet after it was revealed that he was the person who killed a lion named Cecil in Zimbabwe on a hunt earlier this month. The 55-year-old from Eden Prairie, Minnesota now claims that his professional guides told him it was a legal hunt and that he regrets killing the beautiful lion.
As we reported earlier today, Palmer was first identified by the Telegraph. Cecil was a beloved lion at Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park and it was revealed that Palmer paid over $54,000 for the hunt.
Palmer sent a statement to the Minnesota Star Tribune today, explaining that he was not aware of Cecil’s importance to locals and insisted that his trip was legal. He shifted blame to his guides and said that he still hasn’t been contacted by American or Zimbabwean officials.
“I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt,” Palmer wrote in his statement.
He later added, “Again, I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion.”
The Star Tribune reports that Palmer’s office in Bloomington, Minnesota was closed on Tuesday and a note was placed on the door, telling visitors to call a local public relations firm.
Palmer is also a member of Safari Club International, which has 300 members in Minnesota and 55,000 worldwide. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to misleading a federal agent about killing a black bear in Wisconsin two years before.
Screenshot via Bryan Orford YouTube channel