Jimmy Kimmel got choked up while talking about Cecil the Lion’s death Tuesday night on "Jimmy Kimmel Live."
With tears in his eyes, the late-night host admitted on his show that he was “so relieved” that Cecil’s killer was at first believed to be a Spaniard. "I was like, 'This is terrible but thank God this isn't one of us.'"
Kimmel’s relief was short-lived, however, as the news soon got out that the culprit was American dentist Walter Palmer. "It was one of us. It was a dentist from Minnesota who paid $50,000 to shoot the lion," the comedian lamented.
Palmer allegedly paid off an official at the Hwange National Park to let him kill the well-known lion that wore a tracking collar and was used in University of Oxford research. The Minnesota man lured the 13-year old lion out of the protected area of the reserve and
shot him with a crossbow, The New York Times reported. The animal lived for two days until Palmer shot him with a gun.
Since news of the incident broke, Palmer’s office has been closed.
The comedian acknowledged that Palmer may not have known he was breaking the law or shooting a famous lion. Kimmel read a portion of Palmer’s apology on the show. "'I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion,'" Palmer said, Kimmel quoted.
"Why are you shooting a lion in the first place?" asked Kimmel. "I'm honestly curious about why a human being would be compelled to do that. How is that fun?"
Kimmel ended his emotional speech on a purposeful note, urging viewers to give their support to the Wildlife Conservation Unit, who was responsible for tracking Cecil.
Cecil’s death has disturbed other A-listers as well, many of whom have taken to Twitter to express their disgust:
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