Minnesota investigating Cecil the Lion’s killer

Police in Minnesota are investigating reports of a threat against the dentist who killed Zimbabwe’s most famous lion, sparking global outrage over trophy hunting on Wednesday.

Demonstrators taped signs reading “Rot in Hell” and “You have no soul” to the outside door of the suburban Minneapolis office of Walter Palmer, 55, an avid big game hunter. Palmer, said in a statement he regrets killing the huge cat known as Cecil on July 1. He said he had hired professional local guides who secured hunting permits and believed the hunt was legal.

“I have no forgiveness for this guy right now, all right? He doesn’t deserve forgiveness,” one demonstrator said

As of Tuesday, Palmer had temporarily closed his office, River Bluff Dental, in Bloomington, Minnesota, amid wishes for his death and widespread criticism of his hunting on social media and under business reviews on Google and Yelp.

Cecil, a distinctive black-maned lion, was lured out of Hwange National Park using a bait and was wounded with a bow and arrow, and not shot dead until 40 hours later.

Bloomington Police have stepped up patrols around the office are investigating a phoned-in threat, Deputy Chief Mike Hartley said.

Palmer, who has not been charged, has been under official scrutiny for his hunting in the past. He pleaded guilty in 2008 to lying to a U.S. Fish & Wildlife agent about a black bear hunt in Wisconsin two years earlier.

He had faced federal charges of killing a bear outside his permitted zone and then hauling it back 40 miles (64 km) inside to register it with authorities.