Minnesota Dentist Facing Poaching Charges for Slaying Famous Lion

This story breaks my heart! I think the Lion King gave me a special kind of love and forever bond with lions! All I think of when I hear this story is Mufasa. I can't believe this kind of stuff happens in real life. A famous lion was brutally murdered in Africa. Get your tissues out for this one!

Cecil was 13 years old and called the “biggest tourist attraction” at the country’s premier wildlife park. Walter Palmer paid over $50,000 to take this trip, and track down and hunt a lion. He is sticking to his guns (no pun intended) when he says he was unaware Cecil was a protected/famous lion, and according to a story in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune he expressed regret but denied any illegality and laid any blame firmly at the door of his guides.

According to the Huffington Post "it's believed that Cecil was lured out of the national park into an adjacent hunting concession area with bait in the form of a freshly killed animal. At that point, the lion was shot with a bow and arrow. The dying lion, who was wearing a GPS collar, was then followed by the hunter for 40 hours before he was finally killed with a rifle."

Social Media is flooded with #WalterPalmer hate, and his dental office's Yelp page is loaded with negative reviews - even celebrities are posting about it. Check out some of the comments here. 

Palmer also has a federal conviction related to illegally shooting a black bear in Wisconsin.