Cecil the Lion

A dentist from Minnesota is accused of paying $55,000 to hunt down and kill a famed lion in Zimbabwe.

“Cecil the Lion” was killed in early July, authorities said. A spokesman for the dentist, Dr. Walter Palmer, told The Guardian that Palmer, 55, may have shot the lion.

“What he’ll tell you is that he had the proper legal permits and he had hired several professional guides, so he’s not denying that he may be the person who shot this lion. He is a big-game hunter; he hunts the world over,” Palmer’s spokesman told The Guardian in a statement.

A professional hunter and the land owner where the lion was killed have already been criminally charged. Police said they are looking for Palmer.