A Dentist Killed Cecil The Lion, So An Internet Mob Killed His Yelp Rating

What do heartbroken big cat lovers do when they find out a Minnesotan dentist allegedly killed a beloved lion in Zimbabwe and chopped off its head? Well, this is the internet, so the answer is obvious: flood his practice’s Yelp page with one-star reviews.

Conservationists and animal lovers around the world were devastated earlier this week over the news that Cecil, a famous 13-year-old lion that lived on protected parkland in Zimbabwe, had been killed. Cecil was allegedly lured outside of the protected borders of the Hwange national park earlier this month during a planned hunt, shot with a bow and arrow, then shot dead with a gun after being tracked for 40 hours. The lion was then skinned and beheaded.

Cecil was not only a popular attraction at the park, but was the dominant male of his pride, with six lioness mates and as many as a dozen cubs. The cubs are now at risk of being slaughtered by the next male in line, according to experts who say the new leader will want to rid the pride of Cecil’s bloodline. Cecil also wore a GPS collar as as part of a 16 year study out of Oxford University.

This week, conservation groups in Zimbabwe and media outlets identified the hunter who killed Cecil as Walter Palmer, a dentist and father of two from a small city south of Minneapolis. Palmerissued a statement indicating he did kill Cecil as part of a hunting trip, but that he was relying on local guides and did not realize the lion’s significance.

“I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt,” he wrote. “I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion.”

Two men involved in the hunt were arrested earlier this month and charged with poaching, though Palmer wrote that he had not been contacted by any authorities over the killing. But justice-thirsty Cecil fans have taken matters into their own hands to ensure Palmer is punished for killing the lion, flooding his cosmetic dentistry business’s Yelp page with vitriolic reviews and comments:

The website for the business, River Bluff Dental, has also been offline most of the day due to traffic overloading the server. Other people have created fake business pages on Facebook to further shame Palmer, who has a well-documented history of big game bow hunting.

It’s all probably unnecessary: the story has grown so big that anyone Googling Palmer’s name or the name of his business will find reams of stories about the killing long before the Yelp page appears. But most likely, the people posting the Yelp comments are just seeking the same thing anyone writing a nasty review is searching for: pure, unadulterated catharsis.

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Permalink Reply by Deep Space on July 29, 2015 at 11:30pm

I agree. Being a proponent of human rights & animal rights doesn't have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, for the vast majority of most people, they are not.

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Permalink Reply by Tara on July 29, 2015 at 11:43pm

I agree but why is this story being catapulted in the MSM right now? I'm sure this is happening all the time over in Africa but why is this story being so heavily pushed? There's always more to the story than meets the eyes, as the old saying goes. They're obviously trying to tug on people's heart strings.

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Permalink Reply by Deep Space on July 29, 2015 at 11:45pm

Who knows why anything in the mainstream is popular? Poopie Pie is the most popular channel on YouTube. The turd made $7.4 million last year. I pretty much stick to Independent media. But yeah big game trophy hunters piss me off. I wish the worst for those sickos.

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Permalink Reply by Less Prone on July 31, 2015 at 10:06am

They never miss a chance to promote gun control. This is about teaching people to hate guns.

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Permalink Reply by you cant have it on July 29, 2015 at 11:28pm

thanks deep space.

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Permalink Reply by you cant have it on July 29, 2015 at 11:54pm

no one is tugging heart strings....this guy specifically targeted cecil...its going to come out. wait.
thats why its a thing.........bye the way i hunt deer and pheasant, duck, rabbit. and would spend my life fishing if i could make a living doing so......but i do it legally. i eat what i take. and i own several guns. he actually thought he was going to get away with this.....yes it was planned.
its called narcissistic developmental disorder. deep space put it very well

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Permalink Reply by Tara on July 30, 2015 at 12:01am

The MSM is tugging at heart strings but forget about that right now. I agree with you. I come from a family of proud deer, partridge, small game hunters. I hear you, really.

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Permalink Reply by you cant have it on July 30, 2015 at 12:12am

i wasnt trying to counter you or anyone. i just happen to know who this guy is.
right after he got busted for an illegal bear kill in a state park in wisconsin, it was going around that he and some of his friends were organizing an elephant hunt... he belongs to an under ground organization of wealthy head hunters as we call them.......prince harry was just photographed with a large bison kill...... it was done on a legal game farm and the meat was donated to the needy.

this guy? fucking scum.

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Permalink Reply by Central Scrutinizer on July 30, 2015 at 9:31pm

Mia Farrow Tweets Home Address of Dentist Who Killed Cecil the Lion

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Permalink Reply by Less Prone on August 13, 2015 at 3:23pm

Mia, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, shows what the UNICEF Goodwill is = kill the gun owners.

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Permalink Reply by you cant have it on July 30, 2015 at 9:39pm

there have been some protesters in front of his practice. and his house is being plastered with some pretty good postcards. the us governmernt is officially looking for him and arent interested in talking with this p.r. skinny he hired.

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Permalink Reply by Deep Space on July 30, 2015 at 9:41pm

I hope some crazy stuffs & mounts him. I say the same far ALL big game trophy hunters. Whether "legal" or illegal. Shame on the African governments that sell-out to psychos like them.