HE HUNTER who shot Cecil, Zimbabwe's best-known lion, has been revealed as a dentist from Minnesota called Walter Palmer reports  The Week.

The 13-year-old lion, famed for his black mane, was said to have been lured out of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, where he had protected status. After being shot by a bow and arrow, he took 40 hours to die, and when he was finally put out of his misery with a rifle shot, he was skinned and beheaded.

Following a furious backlash on social media and an international hunt for Cecil's killer, Palmer has admitted that it might be him.

In a statement to The Guardian, he confirmed he had been in Zimbabwe and killed a lion on a bow hunting trip, but insisted that he had hired several professional guides who had secured the "proper" permits. "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 said.

Palmer said, to his knowledge, everything about the trip was legal and properly handled, but added that he was willing to cooperate with investigators. "I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity that I love and practise responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion," he said.

Two men - professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst and farm owner Honest Ndlovu - are due to appear in court in Zimbabwe later today [Wednesday]after being charged with poaching offences. The pair could face up to 15 years in prison if it is proved that they failed to obtain the correct hunting permit before Cecil was killed, says the BBC.

Johnny Rodrigues, chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force charity, said: "Palmer shot Cecil with a bow and arrow but this shot didn't kill him. They tracked him down and found him 40 hours later when they shot him with a gun. The hunters then found that the dead lion was wearing a tracking collar, which they unsuccessfully tried to hide."

Rodrigues added that the "saddest part of all" is that the next lion in the hierarchy, Jericho, will now most likely kill all of Cecil's cubs.

The lion's death has sparked outrage, with some people on Facebook calling for Palmer to be publicly shamed and jailed. More than 275,000 people have signed a petition demanding "justice for Cecil" and calling on Zimbabwe to stop issuing hunting permits to kill endangered animals. Small stuffed lions were last night left outside Palmer's home and dental office, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

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According to the newspaper, Palmer's previous kills have included a polar bear and a mountain lion, and in 2008 he reportedly pleaded guilty to misleading a federal agent in connection with the hunting of a black bear