Cecil The Lion Dead: Tourist Suspected In Zimbabwe Poaching

Update 11:20 a.m.: Walter Palmer, a dentist from Minneapolis was named as the tourist suspected of killing Cecil, according to the Telegraph. While a representative for Palmer said the dentist might have shot the lion, Palmer disputed the report to The Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Meanwhile, social media users have taken to the dentist's Facebook page to express outrage over the killing.

Tourists ruin everything. At least, that's what anyone who lives near a tourist destination will you -- just ask a New Yorker near Times Square. Now, Zimbabwe is finding that out too, after a tourist allegedly killed Cecil, one of Africa's most famous lions.

Authorities say Cecil was lured from a national park with food and then shot with a bolt from a crossbow, CNN reported. The lion was injured but didn't die until July 6 -- 40 hours after being shot with the bolt -- when a hunter or hunters shot him with a gun.

The lion's head and skin were taken as trophies, but they have since been located and are now being held as evidence, authorities said. Cecil was being tracked by Oxford University for a study and was easily recognized by his size.

Authorities believe the kill was part of a safari hunt for which the hunters paid $55,000. The operator of the safari has been arrested and has a scheduled hearing on Aug. 6. The Zimbabwe Professional Hunters and Guides Association confirmed the safari leader was one of its members and said the guide has been suspended indefinitely.

There is a question as to whether the killing was illegal, Mashable wrote. But an official from the Zimbabwe Parks Wildlife Management Authority and the court of public opinion thinks it should be.

Lions have become more vulnerable are nearly 85 percent of their habitats have been lost. The loss of habitat has forced many lions to move closer to humans, where farmers often kill them in an attempt to protect livestock, the African Wildlife Foundation says.

Current estimates say that roughly 10,000 to 15,000 lions remain, down from 50,000 just a decade ago. Lions are increasingly being hunted for sport, the African Conservatory says, because tourists are willing to pay to kill them.