Surprising reactions from around the world to the killing of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe

When American dentist Walter Palmer was discovered to have killed beloved Zimbabwean lion Cecil for sport earlier this month, the world (via social media) went ballistic.

Palmer, a seasoned hunter, reportedly paid $55,000 to carry out the poach – whereby the American and two local guides lured (baited) Cecil out of a protected park and into a zone where they could legally shoot him.

Those on the animal rights side of things were obviously appalled but there was an outpouring of feeling from all corners of the web and a torrent of hate for the dentist who has been compared to the likes of Hannibal Lecter and the subject of stories like, ‘The most evil dentists of all time.’

In one of the more surreal public conversations about the matter, social media shame expert Jon Ronson, political news commentator Chris Hayes and animal rights activist Mia Farrow, all agreed diplomatically over twitter that the act was disgusting but the public reaction is ‘disconcerting’.

Here is a round-up of some of the Cecil-related rhetoric to come out of cyberspace.