Cecil the Lion killer dentist Walter Palmer inundated with one star Yelp reviews

Protesters mark the death of Cecil the Lion at a vigil in London in 2016 (AFP via Getty Images)

A Minnesota dentist who shot and killed Cecil the Lion is being inundated with scathing online reviews seven years on from the controversy.

Walter Palmer, 62, sparked widespread condemnation when he bow-shot the famous lion in 2015 after it had allegedly been lured out of a protected area of the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe.

Mr Palmer, an experienced big game hunter, later apologised for his role in the animal’s killing, saying he believed he was taking part in a legal hunt.

He was cleared of any wrongdoing after Zimbabwean authorities said he had paid $50,000 for a legal a hunting permit.

After Zimbabwean authorities named Mr Palmer as Cecil’s killer, protesters picketed his River Bluff Dental clinic in Bloomington, Minnesota, and Yelp had to remove thousands of abusive reviews targeting the dentist.

Seven years on, the clinic continues to receive dozens of one star reviews on ratings site such as Yelp, RateMDs and Vitals.com.

The reviews range from criticising Dr Palmer’s bedside manner and dentistry skills to ongoing vitriol over the 2015 death of Cecil.

“What he did to Cecil should be done to him! He is a disgrace, not 1 ounce of morality humanity! I would not let him by my goldfish,” states one “review”.

Some claim they received poor service or treatment from Dr Palmer.

A staff member at River Bluff Dental who answered the phone on Tuesday said Mr Palmer was unavailable to comment as he was treating patients.

In 2020, the Daily Mirror reported that Mr Palmer had paid $100,000 to kill an endangered ram in Mongolia.