According to a press release by Ty Inc., it has created a Beanie Baby Cecil the Lion with all of the profits going to WildCRU, the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit of the University of Oxford in England.

The research unit was the same one that had collared Cecil with a tracker and was studying the lion when he was illegally killed.

An American, Walter Palmer, is accused, but has not been charged with killing the lion illegally in Zimbabwe. Authorities in the African country are attempting to extradite Palmer. His two guides have been charged with the illegal hunt.

Palmer said he paid approximately $50,000 for permits for a legal hunt, the "Today" show reported.

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Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com