Minnesota dentist illegally kills beloved lion in Zimbabwe, easily worst decision of his life. Update!

Final photograph of Cecil the lion.

Courtesy of Twin Cities.com: 

A Minnesota dentist and avid big-game hunter said he regrets killing a beloved lion in Zimbabwe and will cooperate with any criminal investigation. 

Walter J. Palmer, an Eden Prairie man with a Bloomington dental practice, came under fire from animal lovers after being identified as the man who shot Cecil, a well-known lion who roamed a Zimbabwe national park. He has become the target of threats and social media backlash against both himself and his business. 

During a nighttime hunt in early July, the hunting team tied a dead animal to a car, luring the lion out of Hwange National Park, said Johnny Rodrigues, chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force. 

Palmer, 55, used a bow and arrow to shoot the lion on private land. Tracking data from the lion's GPS collar show it survived for about 40 hours before it was shot and killed with a rifle, according to according to The Independent, a London newspaper.

After finding and killing Cecil, they then cut off his head and skinned him, leaving his carcass behind to rot.

Since the killing social media outrage has virtually driven Palmer out of business, at least temporarily:

The backlash from animal lovers around the world has been so strong that the dentist’s website has shut down and his office is shuttered.

So manly, don't you think?

Palmer did say this in his defense: 

In a statement, Palmer said “I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt… I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion”

"An activity that I love?" Interesting way of saying I like to murder creatures with no way of fighting back, just for sport.

However his actions will have even deadlier consequences, as Cecil was the alpha male of his pride meaning that one of the younger male lions will soon take his place and kill all of his cubs in order to establish dominance.

Nature is cruel, but clearly not nearly as cruel as a dentist from Minnesota.

P.S. Here was Jimmy Kimmel's take.  (I you'll notice toward the end Kimmel gets very emotional and chokes up a little.)

Update: Couldn't resist could she?