The American dentist who killed Cecil, a famous African lion in Zimbabwe, during a July bow-hunting trip says he trusted local guides to ensure the hunt was legal — and that he didn't know the lion was a "local favorite" until the end of the hunt.

Dr. Walter Palmer, who has remained quiet since The Telegraph first identified him as the lion killer (in turn unleashing a wave of criticism), released a statement Tuesday afternoon in an attempt to deflect some of the blame.

"In early July, I was in Zimbabwe on a bow hunting trip for big game. I hired several professional guides and they secured all proper permits. To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted," he says in the statement.

"I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt," Palmer adds. "I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt."

Zimbabwean police reportedly said they were "looking for Palmer," but the dentist says he has not been contacted by any authorities there or in the U.S. about the death of the lion. He says he will "assist them in any inquiries" should they get in contact.

"I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion," Palmer says in the statement. It's an apology likely to get him nowhere with the thousands online who have targeted his business with negative reviews, published his home address and expressed a hope that he meet a similar fate as the lion.

Others began leaving plush lions outside his Bloomington, MN offices in what appears to be a makeshift memorial.

Can't make this up. Walter Palmer dental office morphed into makeshift memorial. Suppose #CecilTheLion in foreground pic.twitter.com/tW59sUuB3J — Paul Blume (@PaulBlume_FOX9) July 28, 2015

About the hunt

Palmer lured the lion out of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe on the night of July 1 before shooting him with a bow and arrow. The lion wasn't killed. More than 40 hours later, a professional hunter found the suffering animal and finished him off with a rifle, before beheading and skinning its carcass for Palmer to bring home as a trophy.

It was confiscated by Zimbabwean authorities as evidence.

Theo Bronkhorst, the hunter with Bushman Safaris who allegedly assisted the dentist in the pursuit of Cecil, was arrested. He says he made a "mistake."

"It was a magnificent, mature lion. We did not know it was well-known lion. I had a license for my client to shoot a lion with a bow and arrow in the area where it was shot," he told the Telegraph.

Both Bronkhorst and the landowner who hosted the hunt will face a judge on Aug. 6.

Zimbabwe National Parks, in a statement, said "both the professional hunter and land owner had no permit or quota to justify the offtake of the lion and therefore are liable for the illegal hunt."

It is unclear what, if any, charges Palmer could face. Still, nearly 60,000 have signed a petition addressed to Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe, demanding "justice" for Cecil the lion by ending the practice of issuing such hunting permits.

Cecil, a beloved lion

Cecil was seen as a huge icon by both tourists and Zimbabweans alike. He is featured in numerous YouTube videos from those who saw him on safaris in Hwange National Park.

He was collared with a GPS device as an (unwilling) participant in an Oxford University wildlife research project.

Johnny Rodrigues, the chairman of Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, described the death of Cecil as a "total tragedy" and a loss.

"It’s a tragedy that we are taking something that belongs to future generations and shooting these animals just because somebody is on an ego trip and they can afford it," Rodrigues told Mashable.

To make matters worse, "the next lion in the hierarchy, Jericho, will most likely kill all Cecil’s cubs so that he can insert his own bloodline into the females," conservation authorities told The Guardian.

He had nearly 25.

Jessica Eggert contributed to this report.