Plush toy manufacturer Ty Inc. announced Monday that it’s making a Beanie Baby to commemorate Cecil the Lion, a Southwest African Lion killed last month by American tourist Walter Palmer.
The company says it will donate all profits from the new toy to the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit of University of Oxford, the organization that had been tracking Cecil since 2008.
“Hopefully, this special Beanie Baby will raise awareness for animal conservation and give comfort to all saddened by the loss of Cecil,” said Ty Inc. Founder and Chairman Ty Warner.
Palmer killed the lion while on a hunting trip in Zimbabwe. After the death of the lion, which had gained notoriety as a local favorite, Palmer shuttered his dentistry amid outrage from animal lovers and others.