Two days after the killing of Cecil the lion sparked a firestorm on social media, the United States government announced that it will investigate the death of the prized African creature.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said on Twitter Thursday that the government agency is currently "investigating" the killing of the lion, allegedly carried out by Minnesota dentist Dr. Walter Palmer.
"We’re investigating the killing of #CecilTheLion. Will go where facts lead. We ask Dr. Palmer or his rep to contact USFWS immediately," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tweeted. "We share your concern about the issue surrounding #CeciltheLion and we’re working to gather the facts."
The government agency has encountered difficulty locating Palmer, who is accused of shooting and killing the lion near a national park in Zimbabwe.
"The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is investigating the circumstances surrounding the killing of ‘Cecil the lion,’" Edward Grace, deputy chief of law enforcement for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said in a statement. "That investigation will take us wherever the facts lead. At this point in time, however, multiple efforts to contact Dr. Walter Palmer have been unsuccessful. We ask that Dr. Palmer or his representative contact us immediately."
Network news outlets have dedicated more time to covering Cecil the lion than they have to the videos of Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of aborted baby body parts, according to a report Wednesday from conservative media watchdog group Media Research Center.
GOP presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) slammed the lack of "outrage" regarding the Planned Parenthood videos in comparison to that over Cecil the lion, writing on Twitter Wednesday afternoon, "Look at all this outrage over a dead lion, but where is all the outrage over the planned parenthood dead babies?"