Cecil the Lion was killed by dentist who paid $50,000 to hunt world-famous animal

A new documentary will air tonight about an incident that shocked the world when a famous Lion was hunted and killed.

Cecil the Lion was previously a world-famous part of Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park prior to his death.

Cecil gained his name and celebrity status from being by the far the largest Lion in the pack who would stand out when tourists would visit the National Park, particularly due to his long black shaggy mane.

In addition to this he was part of an Oxford University research programme.

When he was killed it was a viral incident which sparked international outrage, with one petition gaining almost 140,000 signatures calling for the killer to be extradited to Zimbabwe.

Cecil was killed by a US citizen, Walter Palmer, a dentist who paid $50,000 to ‘hunt’ the lion and kill him with a bow and arrow.

The dentist was later brought into court in 2025 for a DWI (Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

National Park staff did not realise something was wrong until days later, with staff reporting that fellow male lion Jericho had spent several nights ‘calling’, stating that ‘in their opinion he was calling for his dead friend Cecil’.

After being shot with an arrow the lion travelled just 350 metres in eight hours, with a hunter encouraging Palmer to ‘finish him off’ after Cecil spent 10-12 hours in agony.

Palmer later apologised for the kill, saying in a statement: “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 favourite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt.

“Again, I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion.”

Cecil was projected onto the Empire State Building (KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

Palmer faced significant backlash, with his home being spray painted with the words ‘lion killer’ but was never charged with a crime after officials decided the charges were ‘too vague’.

Cecil was well known for being friendly with visitors, part of what made him so popular.

Andrew Loveridge, a researcher who knew the lion well, said of his last interaction with Cecil: “I clearly recall the last time I saw Cecil. It was May 2015.

“My colleague Jane Hunt and I had been tracking him via the signal from his collar. We followed him a short distance before he flopped down on the road.

“From the scrub, spur fowl cackled their displeasure as he lay leisurely sniffing at the early evening breeze.

“We sat in the Land Cruiser a few meters away, taking photographs. He couldn’t have been less concerned by our presence.”

Now, Channel 4 are set to release a documentary Cecil: The Lion and the Dentist tonight, February 19, which promises to ‘move beyond the headlines’.

Cecil: The Lion and the Dentist promises to give a voice to various perspectives on the incident, including ‘trophy hunters, safari operators, local communities, conservationists, and those directly entangled in the hunt and ensuing criminal proceedings’.

Reviews have praised the documentary as ‘engrossing’ yet ‘hard to watch’.