Jimmy Kimmel Gets Emotional Discussing Cecil the Lion

Cecil the Lion was a beloved 13-year-old black mane lion living in a Zimbabwe national park who was illegally hunted down by an American dentist from Minnesota, Walter Palmer. Palmer apologized in a statement saying he had no idea the lion was a local favorite and that “I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion.” The reaction to this news has been angry, but perhaps no person is more upset than Jimmy Kimmel, who directed his fury at Palmer on his show Tuesday, saying, “The big question is why are you shooting a lion in the first place. How is that fun?” Cecil, who had been described as “the pride of Zimbabwe” and was being researched by Oxford University, was killed in gruesome manner. Palmer, with the assistance of two hired men, lured the lion out of a national park and shot him with a bow and arrow but only managed to actually kill him 40 hours later with a gun.