Ted Nugent defends killing of Cecil the lion

Ted Nugent has weighed in on the killing of Cecil the lion, calling the story “a lie.”

US dentist Walter Palmer caused outrage when he shot and killed Zimbabwe’s most famous animal in what he believed was a legal hunt.

But Cecil was being monitored as part of an Oxford University study into lion conservation and was a major tourist attraction at the Hwange National Park – Zimbabwe’s largest game reserve.

Nugent, who is known for his pro-hunting stance, was drawn into the conversation on Facebook when he was asked for his thoughts on the incident.

He says: “The whole story is a lie. It was a wild lion from a ‘park’ where hunting is legal and essential beyond the park borders.

“All animals reproduce every year and would run out of room/food to live without hunting. I will write a full piece on this joke ASAP. God are people stupid.”

Palmer and his guides reportedly lured Cecil from the park before Palmer shot the beast with a bow and arrow. They then caught up with the injured lion 40 hours later where it was shot with a rifle and beheaded.

Palmer said he regretted his actions but maintains he had no idea the lion was a local favourite.

Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum called Nugent a “sick individual” last year when the guitarist posed with a picture of a dead groundhog.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.