The man who traveled overseas to hunt and kill Cecil — one of Africa's most famous lions — has been identified as an American dentist who paid $55,000 for the opportunity.

Walter Palmer, the dentist from Minnesota, is believed to have lured the lion out of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe on the night of July 1 before shooting him with a bow and arrow. After 40 hours, a professional hunter found the suffering animal and finished him off with a rifle, beheading and skinning the animal to use as a trophy.

Both Cecil's head and skin have been confiscated by officials to be used as evidence.

Two sources have confirmed the man's identity to The Telegraph.

The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority also tweeted the man's name, adding, "This was an #illegalhunt." It said the Cecil's death will affect tourism in Hwange "dramatically."

Mashable called the dentist's office on Tuesday and no one picked up the phone. We've also emailed to confirm that the dentist was on a hunting trip in Zimbabwe but have not heard back.

On Tuesday, Zimbabwe National Parks released a statement regarding the undecided legality of the hunt.

"Ongoing investigations to date, suggest that the killing of the lion was illegal since the land owner was not allocated a lion on his hunting quota for 2015," it said.

Theo Bronkhorst, the professional hunter with Bushman Safaris who allegedly assisted the dentist in Cecil's pursuit, reportedly claimed that he admitted the incident to the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, saying he made a "mistake."

Bronkhorst and the landowner are both under arrest and due to appear in court on August 6th.

"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," the Zimbabwe National Parks said.

Bronkhorst, for his part, claims he was unaware of Cecil's fame.

"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.

A history of hunting big game

A hunting blog called Trophy Hunt America showed images of a man identified as Walter Palmer posing with a 175 lb. leopard he shot and killed in Zimbabwe in 2010 and a Nevada California Bighorn.

The caption of another image posted on the site in 2010, of Palmer posing with a dead elk, boasted that Walt needed "only one more animal ... and he will have achieved a long difficult quest of harvesting every species of North American big game."

Palmer was also profiled by the New York Times in 2009 which said he was "capable of skewering a playing card from 100 yards with his compound bow."

Back in 2008, WEAU reported that Palmer was pleading guilty to facing up to five years in prison for illegally hunting a bear in Wisconsin. According to the report, Palmer and other members of the hunting group agreed to lie to authorities about where the animal was killed in order to avoid charges.

Cecil the icon

Cecil was a huge icon for both tourists and Zimbabweans, and was featured in numerous YouTube videos from people who spotted the gentle giant on safaris in Hwange National Park.

Cecil now leaves behind a pride of lions, including females with whom he mated and 24 of his cubs. Those cubs, preservationists say, will now likely be killed by other lions.

Johnny Rodrigues, the chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, told Mashable on Monday that the loss of Cecil is a "total tragedy," and that the hunt was "absolutely illegal."

"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 said. "How do you bait an animal out of its habitat to kill it and consider it legal?"

Palmer is under some serious heat

The influx of harsh reviews on Yelp since this morning has brought his rating down to one out of five stars. "KILLER!! Dr. Palmer is a disgusting human being consistently showing new lows by killing majestic animals like Cecil. I hope your children will know your evil nature," user Marcio D. wrote in a review on Yelp.

"I have never seen this doctor - HOWEVER - he is making headlines across the globe for luring a beautiful 13 year old, lion from a protected so he could kill him. I would think twice about seeing a dentist or doctor with this level of dishonesty and cruelty," wrote user Anne V.

The people trolling Walter Palmer's dental practice's Yelp page are the best: http://t.co/X6vyfbtRKe pic.twitter.com/mS9Reswreb — Mike (@MKChiWriting) July 28, 2015

Telari Bohrnsen, one of Dr. Palmer's ex-patients, regrets ever putting money in his pocket. "I'm disgusted by what he's done, not only to Cecil, but all of the other animals as well. And heartbroken at the thought that our money went to fund those activities," she wrote to Mashable.

The actor Ricky Gervais, a noted animal-rights activist, tweeted too. "It's not for food. It's not the shooting, or tin cans would do. It must just be the thrill of killing," he wrote. "Mental."

It's not for food. It's not the shooting, or tin cans would do. It must just be the thrill of killing. Mental. http://t.co/0fjtXoC1ML — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 28, 2015

“Obviously, some things are being misreported," Palmer told the Star Tribune. In a desperate post to Facebook this morning, Palmer asked for a second chance and added "Have a great week!"

One Facebook user commented on the post, "from one dentist to another: you are a disgraceful asshole." Others called for him to be shot himself.

The Facebook page for Palmer's office has since been deleted.

The recording at Walter Palmer's dental office previously said he was assisting patients. It's now been changed to say: "we're closed." — Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 28, 2015

When Mashable called the office to confirm the alleged voicemail messaged that said the office is closed, we got a busy signal. This may be why.

@BellaLuna227 Dr Walter Palmer. His practice is at River Bluff Dental 952-884-5361 Get the word out and blow his phone up. — Mark (@MarkMizzouSteel) July 28, 2015

want to personally eviscerate Walter Palmer, dentist and lion killer? here's his phone number! 1-952-884-5361 https://t.co/ncK6WBvxAv — Charlene Jaszewski (@theredheadsaid) July 28, 2015

Fox 9's Paul Blume tweeted a picture of the office that appears to be completely shut down.

Dental practice belonging to controversial big game hunter Walter Palmer completely locked down. All shades drawn. pic.twitter.com/opvzJp8ea9 — Paul Blume (@PaulBlume_FOX9) July 28, 2015

While no legal consequences have been addressed for Palmer thus far, it looks like — for the time being — he's facing some real-life backlash.

Palmer released a statement on Tuesday afternoon.

"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. 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. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt. I have not been contacted by authorities in Zimbabwe or in the U.S. about this situation, but will assist them in any inquiries they may have. Again, I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion."