Walter Palmer, a dentist from Minnesota, is thought to be the hunter who paid $55,000 and colluded with locals to lure an iconic Zimbabwean lion from its protected habitat so he could kill it with a bow and arrow. Once mortally wounded, the lion lived another 40 hours in terror as the hunter tracked him before killing him, beheading him and skinning him.

The lion, Cecil, was a symbol in the country, much beloved and a gentle giant.

Locals who poach can get two to five years in prison.

Palmer, who is alleged to have killed the animal on or around July 1, is probably not even on the continent anymore. I can't imagine what, if any, punishment he will face. I would hope that by spreading word of who he is he will suffer drastic economic consequences from his local patients if it's proven that he is the culprit. What he did was disgusting and immoral, and while I am not a fan of hunting, period, his act has NOTHING to do with the acceptable standards of that so-called sport.