Some of the big game the Minnesota dentist who killed one of Africa's most famous lions has hunted

Pamela Engel

Jul 30, 2015, 22:02 IST

REUTERS/Eric Miller

Protesters hold signs during a rally outside the River Bluff Dental clinic against the killing of a famous lion in Zimbabwe, in Bloomington, Minnesota July 29, 2015.

The Minnesota dentist who killed a beloved lion on a safari in Zimbabwe has hunted a lot of other big game - and has now earned the title of "most hated hunter in America."

The New York Daily News declares that Walter Palmer has killed a "zoo's worth of wild beasts" on various safaris in Africa and elsewhere. Palmer released a statement earlier this week saying he had no idea that the most recent lion he killed, Cecil, was a well-known favorite in Zimbabwe and lived in a protected area.

"I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion," Palmer said in the statement. He reportedly paid $55,000 to hunt the lion in Zimbabwe.

Palmer has been hunting big game as a sport for years. The Daily News reports that he's killed 43 animals with a bow and arrow, and a blog called "Trophy Hunt America" has photos of Palmer with some of his game, including a leopard, a ram, and an elk.

The New York Times even published a story on Palmer in 2009 - the newspaper wrote that Palmer has "slain all but one of the animals recognized by Pope and Young," a conservation nonprofit that keeps bow hunting records.

Here are the animals Palmer is reported to have killed:

Polar bear

Alex Berger

Walrus

YouTube

Elk

Thomson Reuters

A group of tule elk stand on a hillside in Point Reyes National Seashore

Lion

Paula French on YouTube

Wolf

Courtesy of the Center for Biological Diversity

Bighorn sheep

Wikimedia Commons

This Bighorn was seen just below the summit of Mt. Wheeler in New Mexico.

Rhinoceros

Thomson Reuters

A ranger walks behind a pair of black rhinoceros at the Imire Rhino and Wildlife Conservation Park near Marondera in this file photo

Moose

US Fish and Wildlife/Hagerty Ryan

Mountain lion

Reuters

National Park Service photo of the Griffith Park mountain lion known as P-22 is shown in this remote camera image set up on a fresh deer kill in Griffith Park in this November 2014 photo.

Elephant

REUTERS/Kenny Katombe

An elephant is pictured in Virunga National Park near Lake Edward at Mabenga in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, January 10, 2014.

(It's unclear whether Palmer killed an elephant or just shot one.)

The death of Cecil has caused global outrage, and Palmer has temporarily shuttered his Minnesota dental office to avoid the protests that have cropped up outside. He has reportedly received death threats.

The animal-rights group PETA called for Palmer to be hanged, and others have said he should be publicly shamed or have his teeth pulled out without anesthetic.

Palmer said in his statement that he was "upset" over the comments and threats he was receiving and still insists he did not know the lion he killed was protected. He reportedly went on the safari with professional hunters whom Palmer said had the proper permits.

Cecil's death isn't the first time Palmer has gotten into trouble over one of his hunts - he has a felony record related to shooting a black bear in Wisconsin.