Now, he is one of the most hated men in the world, quite literally, and has become the picture of the "Ugly American."
By now, most people surely know why.
I mentioned that he is successful, and I say that because he must have been. After all, he spent a whopping $50,000 on what he must have considered the privilege of hunting and killing a lion, which he claims to have believed was completely wild. He claims that he trusted his tour guides to do what was legal, and believed, if we take him at his word, that his kill was perfectly within the boundaries of the law.
However, it was not.
The poachers basically led one lion that was in the protected Hwange National Park outside of the park's boundaries, and then went to work. They lured him out of the park. They did this by strapping a dead carcass onto their vehicle, then driving him out of the boundaries of the protected park. Then, they shot him with a bow and arrow.
Cecil escaped, but the hunters tracked him for 40 hours, and then ultimately killed him. It was a long and painful death.
Earlier this week, Palmer made a public statement on the matter:
"I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt. 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 deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion."
He says that he deeply regrets it.
But the question to me is whether he actually deeply regrets it, or deeply regrets having been caught. After all, he is pictured with the dead lion, and he looks pretty happy. He is smiling. In fact, he is positively beaming.
Since they lured the lion out of the park, and then killed him, there is enormous suspicion about Palmer not knowing at least more than he is claiming to have known.
Even if he doesn't, there are some questions. After all, gone is the Golden Age of big game hunters being glorified, and taking very public pride in their kill of magnificent creatures, such as a lion, among other animals. What makes him look like the picture of the "Ugly American" is that, in an age when we know perfectly well about endangered species and the magnificence of these creatures, and the need to protect them, he spent huge sums of money (for one person, anyway) and traveled across the ocean and to another hemisphere to essentially pay for the privilege of killing such a beloved creature, so that he could presumably have the trophy that he wanted.
In this sense, Palmer seems to belong to a different era.
Of course, his actions sparked outrage around the world.
It is safe to say that his life will never be the same after this.
Maybe, just maybe, this will help to dissuade other big spending pricks to do the same thing in the future, with any luck.
I found this now relatively famous clip of Jimmy Kimmel speaking at length about this topic, and making some very valid points, and asking some pointed questions. It was moving, and so I thought I would share it here:
Cecil the Lion's Killer, Dr. Walter Palmer, Contacts Authorities by ELISHA FIELDSTADT, July 31, 2015:
Minnesota dentist 'deeply' regrets 'taking' Cecil the lion USA TODAY NETWORK by Mary Bowerman, USA TODAY, July 30, 2015:
I Noticed A Weird Spot On THIS Rhino’s Horn. When I Realized What It Was? It Will Save The Species, published by Sun Gazing:
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