As Walter Palmer — surely the world's most hated dentist — continues to maintain a low profile in the wake of murdering Zimbabwe's beloved Cecil the Lion like an asshole, the less barbaric among us are attempting to spin a negative into a positive by championing Oxford's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU). Prior to Palmer's brutal murder of their subject, WildCRU was studying Cecil's movements and behavior via a GPS collar. According to the WildCRU website, the group is devastated by the sudden and completely avoidable loss of Cecil — but hopes to "learn from this event" by studying the perturbation effect:
Cecil was one of our study lions. We had followed his movements in minute detail since 2008 – these are remarkable data. Of course, as people devoted to wildlife, and having known Cecil personally, we are deeply saddened by his death, and insofar as this happened allegedly illegally we consider it deeply reprehensible (and we are working closely with the National Parks authorities to support their meticulous work in prosecuting this case). We support all efforts to prevent illegal and unscrupulous hunts.
During an emotional monologue earlier this week on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel put Palmer on proper blast. "Is it that difficult for you to get an erection?" Kimmel asked, before suggesting Palmer "take a pill" instead of engaging in Certified Assholery like murdering lions for no reason other than baffling bragging rights.
Near the end of his monologue, Kimmel fought back the tears before asking those with the ability to do so to donate to WildCRU in an effort to assist them in their continued studies, many now centering around the sudden loss of a father for six newborn cubs. The Wrapreports that, since Kimmel's plea, WildCRU has raised more than $150,000 from 2,600 donations — with the numbers steadily rising. If you're considering donating money yourself, ponder this little fact — Walter Palmer spent $50,000 on securing the ability to murder Cecil. Furthermore, Palmer has a history of legal run-ins stemming from less-than-legal animal killings. Donate here.
