Your trusted source

A Minnesota dentist accused of hunting and killing Cecil, a famous lion in Zimbabwe, said Tuesday that he “had no idea the lion I took was a known, local favorite” and that he may have been misled by hunting guides, according to the Washington Post.

“I hired several professional guides, and they secured all proper permits,”reads a statement from Walter Palmer to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted.”

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

The London Telegraph, citing unnamed sources, first named Palmer as Cecil’s killer. The paper described Palmer as an “American hunter who has boasted about shooting a menagerie of animals with his bow and arrow.”

Cecil, believed to have been killed July 1, was one of the nation’s most famous lions and lived in the massive Hwange National Park. The 13-year-old lion’s death on private land outside of the park's boundary, condemned by the Zimbabwe Professional Hunters and Guides Association, set off a wave of international outrage that centered on Palmer after he was named in connection to the hunt.