Jimmy Kimmel’s Plea for Cecil the Lion Leads to More than $150,000 in Donations

When late night host Jimmy Kimmel made an emotional plea on his show on Tuesday night that the death of 13-year-old Zimbabwean lion Cecil not be in vain, an outpouring of support was to be expected, but the magnitude of that generosity proved remarkable.

According to The Wrap, Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit—whose website was flashed on the screen for 25 seconds at the end of Kimmel’s segment on Cecil the Lion—netted more than $150,000 donations from 2,600 people in less than 24 hours. The unit had been responsible for tracking Cecil’s whereabouts until his untimely demise.

“Jimmy Kimmel implored his millions of listeners in the U.S.A. to make donations to support our work on lions, and conservation more widely,” Wildlife Conservation Research Unit director David McDonald said on the organization’s website. “We are so grateful for this and for the up-welling of support for our work worldwide.”

Cecil the Lion was killed on July 1 by American dentist Walter Palmer and two local guides. Palmer has been on the receiving end of mass vitriol from PETA, celebrities and social media users.

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[The Wrap]