--- title: Cecil the Lion: Jimmy Kimmel's Call for Donations Next Over $150,000 description: The late night host's emotional segment paid off in a big way for Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit. canonical: https://time.com/3978310/jimmy-kimmels-cecil-the-lion/ author: Eric Dodds article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-30T12:28:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:47:11.832Z og:title: Jimmy Kimmel's Plea for Cecil the Lion Nets Over $150,000 og:description: The late night host's emotional segment paid off in a big way. og:url: https://time.com/3978310/jimmy-kimmels-cecil-the-lion/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd4ddab20f36baace/69885d240a4a2252f69c5639/cecil-the-lion1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Cecil the lion og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Jimmy Kimmel's Plea for Cecil the Lion Nets Over $150,000 twitter:description: The late night host's emotional segment paid off in a big way. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd4ddab20f36baace/69885d240a4a2252f69c5639/cecil-the-lion1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Jimmy Kimmel's Plea for Cecil the Lion Leads to More than $150,000 in Donations by [Eric Dodds](https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Jul 30, 2015 12:28 PM UTC  Cecil the lion rests in Hwange National Park, in Hwange, Zimbabwe. Cecil the lion rests in Hwange National Park, in Hwange, Zimbabwe.Andy Loveridge—Wildlife Conservation Research Unit/AP by [Eric Dodds](https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Jul 30, 2015 12:28 PM UTC When late night host Jimmy Kimmel made an [emotional plea](http://time.com/3976423/jimmy-kimmel-cecil-lion-hunt/) 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_](http://www.thewrap.com/cecil-the-lion-plea-on-jimmy-kimmel-rakes-in-over-150k-in-donations/), 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](http://time.com/3976578/peta-cecil-lion/), [celebrities](http://time.com/3978108/walter-palmer-cecil-the-lion-celebrities/) and social media users. ### Here Are Famous People Posing With Animals They've Killed  After serving as President of the United States in 1909, Teddy Roosevelt went on an 11-month, 2,500-mile safari. The expedition was funded as a scientific expedition by the Smithsonian Institution, according to the Theodore Roosevelt Association. On the trip, Roosevelt trapped or shot over 11,000 animals, including elephants, hippos, and white rhinos. Corbis  Prince Harry crouches over a water buffalo he shot and killed in South America in 2004. © SIPA/REX  Troy Gentry, of the country singing duo Montgomery Gentry, killed this captive black bear in Minnesota in October 2004\. He was sentenced to three months of probation and a $15,000 fine and was banned from hunting in Minnesota for five years.  Donald Trump, Jr., posing with a buffalo in Zimbabwe during a safari trip in 2012. Hunting Legends Africa  Eric Trump, son of Donald Trump, posing with a buffalo in Zimbabwe during a safari trip in 2012. Hunting Legends Africa  Justin Tuck, defensive end for the Oakland Raiders, told Outdoor Life about his enjoyment of the challenge of bow hunting. He also discussed his big game trip to Africa, where he shot a hartebeest, zebra, wildebeest, hyena and water buffalo.  Glenn McGrath, Australian international cricketer, posing with an elephant in Zimbabwe during a safari trip in 2008. Hunting Legends Africa  Miranda Lambert poses with a deer. She also was shown to kill an Alligator during an appearance on the Sportsman Channel's "Country Boys Outdoors,” in 2010. \[[_The Wrap_](http://www.thewrap.com/cecil-the-lion-plea-on-jimmy-kimmel-rakes-in-over-150k-in-donations/)\] Cecil the Lion: Jimmy Kimmel's Call for Donations Next Over $150,000 ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3978310/jimmy-kimmels-cecil-the-lion/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3978310/jimmy-kimmels-cecil-the-lion/"},"headline":"Jimmy Kimmel's Plea for Cecil the Lion Leads to More than $150,000 in Donations","datePublished":"2015-07-30T12:28:27.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:47:11.832Z","description":"The late night host's emotional segment paid off in a big way for Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit","url":"https://time.com/3978310/jimmy-kimmels-cecil-the-lion/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Television","Jimmy Kimmel"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd4ddab20f36baace/69885d240a4a2252f69c5639/cecil-the-lion1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Dodds","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd4ddab20f36baace/69885d240a4a2252f69c5639/cecil-the-lion1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Cecil the lion","caption":"Cecil the lion","creditText":"Andy Loveridge—Wildlife Conservation Research Unit/AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3978310/jimmy-kimmels-cecil-the-lion/","name":"Jimmy Kimmel's Plea for Cecil the Lion Leads to More than $150,000 in Donations"}}]}] ```