Dr. Walter Palmer hit headlines around the world after he shot Cecil the lion with a crossbow earlier this month (Jul15) when the beast was allegedly lured out of a protected area by guides.

Several stars including Ricky Gervais, Mia Farrow, Olivia Wilde, and Tippi Hedren have spoken out to condemn the cruel killing, and now fervent animal rights campaigner Morrissey has joined the chorus of disapproval and branded Palmer "evil".

He also compared the dental surgeon to U.S. TV presenter Melissa Bachman, who caused outrage in 2013 when she was pictured smiling and standing proudly over the corpse of a lion she had stalked and killed during a hunt in South Africa.

In a statement, the former The Smiths star writes, "What is it all about, really? So much love in such a very cruel world. I say the latter as I read about Walter James Palmer of Eden Prairie in Minnesota who murdered the very beautiful and much-loved lion named Cecil, so trusting of people and leading such a contented life... How does our society produce people as evil as Walter James Palmer? Well, Melissa Bachman (also of Minnesota) got away with it, so the shootists' door swings open time and again in the USA. Kill for fun."