Everyone is incredibly angry at the American dentist who killed Cecil the lion

Everyone from Jimmy Kimmel to Lennox Lewis have been voicing their disgust at the killing of the Zimbabwe lion.

Wed, 29 Jul, 2015 - 11:04

Ciara Flaherty

It's been 24 hours since

The Minnesota dentist who paid around €50,000 to shoot the 13-year-old lion in Zimbabwe earlier this month has gone into hiding, his dental practice is closed - and

The hashtag #CecilTheLion has been trending worldwide as people shared their sadness and disgust at what many see as a pointless death of a beloved animal. And demanding 'Justice for Cecil' - it has amassed over 290,000 signatures.

US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel used his opening monologue on his show last night to address the issue. Clearly emotional, he gave his thoughts on the “a-hole dentist', urging anyone upset by what has happened to donate to wildlife charity www.wildcru.org/ rather than engage in an internet witch-hunt.

And some people have found themselves in the novel position of agreeing wholeheartedly with Piers Morgan (a first for many) whose typically restrained piece has been shared widely.

I’d love to go hunting for killer dentist Dr Walter Palmer, so I can stuff & mount him for MY office wall. My column:http://t.co/Xy2OWE8sU2
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 28, 2015

Celebrities from all walks of life have been tweeting their thoughts on the matter - everyone from Ricky Gervais to Lennox Lewis.

RIP #CecilTheLion
I'm struggling to imagine anything more beautiful than this pic.twitter.com/lile3Kb2dk
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 28, 2015

A good rule of thumb for hunters would be not to shoot any animal that has a name. It's asking for trouble. #WalterPalmer #CecilTheLion
— Louis Theroux (@louistheroux) July 29, 2015

What difference does it make if the lion was famous or not? Trophy hunting is a very sick pastime. #CecilTheLion https://t.co/wIExHQeMR9
— Lennox Lewis, CBE, CM (@LennoxLewis) July 29, 2015

can't believe this man counted it as valor to lure #CecilTheLion out of his protective home and kill him. #Cowardice pic.twitter.com/TAXOyB76BS
— MC HAMMER e/acc (@MCHammer) July 29, 2015