Betty White, a known animal activist, has joined several celebrities who were outraged after Cecil the lion was killed by American dentist Dr. Walter Palmer in an allegedly legal hunt in Zimbabwe. The 93-year-old actress said that the killing was such a "heartbreaker."
Betty White's anger came after a Minnesota dentist and hunter shot Cecil the lion on July 1. According to Yahoo! News, Cecil was drawn from a wildlife preserve and shot by Dr. Walter James Palmer. It was thought that Palmer shot the lion with a bow and was tracked for 40 hours before he killed it with a gun.
"You don't want to hear some of the things I want to do to that man," White stated on Thursday. "It's such a heartbreaker. You can't even talk about it, and to see this king of the jungle and personifying it in every way, this gorgeous creature. How can somebody do that?"
"[It shows] no appreciation of what it represents, what we're losing and how many species won't be here anymore!" Betty White added.
Meanwhile, Palmer has reportedly gone into hiding after the major backlash he received worldwide after killing Cecil the lion. His two guides, who have maintained their innocence, have been arrested and charged with poaching. Earlier this week, he also released a letter of apology, ET Online has learned.
"I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt," Palmer wrote. "I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt. I have not been contacted by authorities in Zimbabwe or in the U.S. about this situation, but will assist them in any inquiries they may have."
On Friday, professional Zimbabwean hunter Theo Bronkhorst told AFP that he did nothing wrong on the hunt that killed Cecil the lion, a popular draw for tourists at Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park. He was also shocked to find that the lion was wearing a tracking collar. He also admitted that Palmer paid $55,000 for the hunt and had a photo taken next to Cecil's body.
"I don't believe I failed in any duties at all, I was engaged by a client to do a hunt for him and we shot an old male lion that I believed was past his breeding age," Bronkhorst said in telephone interview. "I don't think that I've done anything wrong."
Bronkhorst added that they were devastated that Cecil the Lion had a collar and he left it at the bait site. He also revealed that he has received several death threats.
"I sincerely regret taking such a magnificent animal that happened to be an icon that I didn't even know existed," he said. "It has probably changed my family's life, my business, forever... We have had many, many death threats."
In other news, Betty White will be hosting Discovery Family's upcoming animal-focused programming black, "Pawgust," which will be a month-long event, A.V. Club reported.
"Anything that promotes positive animal knowledge or talk I'm all for," White said about her involvement.
Betty White's show, which will feature specials and movies about animals, will premiere this August.
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