Cecil the Lion's story is one to go down in history - it was a story that sparked rage all over the world for the majestic creature shot dead for sport last month by a Minnesota dentist named Walter Palmer.
Now, after almost a month of avoiding the scrutiny of the public eye, Palmer speaks up about the whole incident and revealed he is "heartbroken" by the threat that it brought to him, his family and his dental clinic.
Since Cecil the Lion's story and death reached a global scale, Palmer's Eden Prairie residence and Bloomington clinic have become sites of animal rights protesters who vandalized their properties and threatening Walter and his family.
"I don't understand that level of humanity to come after people not involved at all," Palmer told the LA Times.
"I've been out of the public eye. That doesn't mean I'm in hiding," Palmer added. "I've been among people, family and friends. Location is really not that important."
Walter added that had he known Cecil the Lion and his story, he would not have killed her.
"If I had known this lion had a name and was important to the country or a study obviously I wouldn't have taken it," Palmer said. "Nobody in our hunting party knew before or after the name of this lion."
Despite the various threats he has received, Palmer is reportedly back in business.
Last month, Cecil the Lion's tragic story moved thousands, which brought into focus the issue of trophy-hunting in countries like Zimbabwe, where Cecil was a part of an Oxford University lion research and a national treasure.
Celebrities like Jimmy Kimmel, Sharon Osbourne and Piers Morgan also expressed rage over Cecil's death, some comparing Palmer to "Satan" and others calling for his citizenship to be taken away.
Cecil the Lion, however, is reportedly not the first lion that Palmer has killed. According to reports, the dentist has gone all over the world just to hunt wild animals, often boasting about his kills by posing for a picture next to them.
