Stars react to Cecil the lion killing
Stars including Olivia Wilde, Nikki Reed and Ricky Gervais have taken to social media to express their outrage over the killing of a protected lion named Cecil by a dentist.
Walter Palmer killed the famous big cat with a crossbow and arrow earlier this month (Jul15) after his guides allegedly lured it out of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe.
He publicly expressed his regret over the kill in a statement, but
insisted his guides had secured proper permits, they hunted legally
and he did not know Cecil had protected status.
Celebrities have since taken to social media to condemn Palmer for
his actions, including Wilde, who writes, "Ohh the dentist 'had no
idea' the lion was famous. Because had he known, he would never
have murdered it without asking for a selfie first," while
outspoken animal rights advocate Gervais writes, "It's not for
food. It's not the shooting, or tin cans would do. It must just be
the thrill of killing. Mental.... RIP #CecilTheLion I'm struggling
to imagine anything more beautiful than this."
Twilight star Nikki Reed adds, "There is nothing I can say that
hasn't already been said. This truly disgusts me. Yes, it is beyond
devastating, however I'm grateful for the amount of anger and
sadness that came as a result of this, as it is something that
happens to hundreds of animals daily (if not more) yet no one talks
about it because no one knows. So now that we know, the question
becomes, what are we going to do about it?"
Model Cara Delevingne writes, "This #WalterPalmer is a poor excuse
of a human being!", Debra Messing posted, "Shame on him! I want
them to take his citizenship away. I'm ashamed and horrified by
what he did. #CecilTheLion" and Kaley Cuoco shared a picture of
Cecil on Instagram.com and adds, "My heart actually bleeds for you.
I'm sorry for what has happened to you, you gorgeous animal.
#cecilthelion".