River Bluff Dental’s Lion Hunter In Firestorm Of Outrage

As the media has revealed the identity of River Bluff Dental practice owner who shot the famous Cecil, the Lion, local citizens and an angry internet are threatening his home and business.

Dentist Walter Palmer, an avid bow hunter who learned to shoot when he was five-years-old, is at the center of a media firestorm and has been forced to close down his River Bluff Dental practice in Bloomington, Minnesota.

He paid $54,000 to shoot a lion in Zimbabwe last week. That lion turned to be Cecil, a 13-year old lion famous in Zimbabwe for his black mane.

When Palmer’s identity was disclosed by the Daily Telegraph, citizens expressed their outrage. Protestors gathered outside of his home and River Bluff Dental practice in Bloomington, Minnesota. Palmer’s dental practice appears to be closed and the shades are drawn.

Some of the protestors carried signs calling Palmer a “murderer,” “killer,” and demanded that he be extradited to Zimbabwe for his possibly illegal actions. Others left stuffed animals outside of his River Bluff Dental business and carried out mock hunts in front of his home.

Palmer released a statement expressing regret for hunting Cecil. He said that he had no idea the lion was so famous, nor did he know that it was collared and tracked by wildlife conservationists. He also declared that “To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted.”

This has not assuaged protestors, but perhaps Palmer’s fiercest critics are those who sit behind a computer screen. On Yelp, Palmer’s dentistry has received more than 5,500 one-star reviews. The comments have called Palmer among other insults a “sickening murderer,” and a “narcissistic killer of majestic creatures.”

Similar reviews have appeared on Google, though both companies have attempted to scrub their sites clean of these reviews.

But while protestors have made their fury towards Palmer clear, the worst may be yet to come for him. The two Zimbabweans who assisted Palmer in his hunt have been charged with poaching and released on bail. Poaching is an extremely serious crime in Zimbabwe, with a sentence of up to 15 years if found guilty.

While Palmer is currently believed to be in the United States, not running his River Bluff Dental practice, the United States and Zimbabwe have a very generous extradition treaty with each other. Palmer could find himself being sent back to face the Zimbabwean judicial system.

It would not be the first time Palmer’s hunting activities have placed him in legal trouble. In 2008, Palmer pleaded guilty to poaching a black bear.

[Photo By:Adam Bettcher/Getty Images]