WASHINGTON — Late-night comedian, Jimmy Kimmel didn’t find much to laugh about with the story on Cecil the lion’s recent killing in Zimbabwe, and he used his show as a platform to help the researchers who had been tracking the animal.
In a monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live earlier this week, the host took aim at the American dentist who killed the lion that was a local favorite.
“Why are you shooting a lion in the first place? I’m honestly curious to know why a human being would be compelled to do that,” Kimmel questioned.
He added that he is not against hunting, but against big-game hunters who he says likely enjoy the thrill for the wrong reasons.
“He killed like half of Noah’s ark,” Kimmel said of Cecil’s killer, Walter James Palmer.
Kimmel took a serious turn and he got choked up when urging viewers to contribute to the Oxford University researchers who’d collared, tracked and studied Cecil in Zimbabwe.
Reaction to Kimmel’s plea has swamped the Oxford University website. A special page was created to handle the outpouring of donations.
Watch Kimmel’s monologue:
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
