Predictably, Ted Nugent Defends Dentist Who Killed Lion Cecil

Metro Detroit rocker Ted Nugent defended the killing of Cecil the Lion, saying in a radio interview the lion “needed to be killed.” (Photo via Flickr)

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Surprising no one familiar with his pro-hunting politics, Motor City Madman Ted Nugent has taken off on a riff of sorts defending the Minnesota dentist who shot Cecil, Zimbabwe’s most famous lion.

Uncle Ted, almost as well known for his defense of hunting as his wailing guitar solos, said that if he could, he would apologize to the beleaguered dentist, Dr. Walter Palmer, for the criticism that has been aimed at him.

“I would say I’m sorry that our society has become so dumbed down and so soul-less, as to threaten you and your family’s lives, because you killed a lion that needed to be killed,” he said Sunday in an interview for the Rita Cosby Show on WABC radio in New York.

He said people are outaged about Cecil’s death only because the lion was given a name. Getting upset about Cecil and not other lions “is disingenuous and tragically dishonest,” Nugent told Cosby.

Zimbabwe Seeks Extradition

Zimbabwe’s government said late last week it would ask U.S. authorities to extradite Palmer so he can stand trial on allegations that he violated national hunting laws.

Palmer paid two Zimbabwean associates more than $50,000 to arrange the hunt. Together they allegedly violated laws governing bow-and-arrow hunting, Oppah Muchinguri, Zimbabwe’s minister of environment, climate and water resources, told reporters in Harare Friday.

Related:

• Dentist Wanted in Death of Majestic Lion Cecil on Pay-to-Kill Hunt
• Internet Rages at American Dentist Who Shot Cecil the Lion

A State Department spokesman confirmed that U.S. has an extradition treaty with Zimbabwe, The Wall Street Journal reports, but had no additional comment about the lion killing case or whether the U.S. would cooperate with Palmer’s extradition.

Palmer and his Zimbabwean associates are accused of luring the majestic 13-year-old lion a mile from the sanctuary of Hwange National Park, using a recently slaughtered animal as bait. Palmer reportedly shot Cecil with a compound bow, then tracked the injured lion for up to 40 hours. Once Cecil was located, he was fatally shot, beheaded and skinned.

Nugent Posts Picture of Lion He Shot

Nugent threw some of his own gas on the firestorm of criticism about Cecil’s killing that is threatening to burn down the Internet. He posted a selfie with a lion he once shot on safari. His unedited post:

Here is a beautiful photo of me & my band with Cecil’s greatgreat grandpa, Fernando the lion. No, they are not holding him down while I perform unnatural acts upon the helpless creature. Afterall, everybody knows lions are helpless & cute. Just fyi, this pure natural legal proper scientificaly sound necessary hunt like all hunts was pure SPORT TROPHY MEAT FUN. Every sacred preciouos part of this animal was utilized. We hired 40 people on the safari, shared the meat, claws, skull, sinew, body fluids, teeth, blood, organs, skin, hair, tongue, eyeballs & each & every hard earned resource this magnificent RENEWABLE resource provided while bringing in critical massive revenues to the local economy while making room for new lions to be born & bringing value to valuable creatures. I dare idiots everywhere to point out what was wrong about this & all hunts. Fools are as fools be. Lion baby, the other whitemeat!

In thousands of shares and comments, Nugent got both kudos and condemnation. He seemed unfazed, and on Monday, the rocker kept the pressure going. His unedited post:

“Shame on all who know the name of a lion but not the US Military heroes who were gunned down by the subhuman allahpuke in Chatanooga. Shame on you all.”

In a statement last week, Palmer said he regretted killing the lion. “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,” he wrote, explaining he “relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt.”

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• What do you think about the outrage surrounding the killing of Cecil?

Since 1999, Cecil had been part of an Oxford University field study. He was habituated and known among Hwange National Park visitors for his friendliness.

There were conflicting reports over the weekend that hunters had also shot Jericho, another male lion and a companion of Cecil’s. However, those reports turned out to be false. Oxford University researchers said Sunday that Jericho was alive and well, and was roaming his territory in the national park.

Below is Ted Nugent’s Facebook post about hunting lions.