In Cecil the lion fallout, hunters defend Walter Palmer and fear big game bans

After the Minnesota dentist killed a protected lion, the global outcry has quickly spread - but some hunters argue the practice 'brings us back to our roots'

For many it would be a horrifying sight, but when Dan Tichenor draws his bow and aims an arrow at an animal in the wild he feels an affinity with humanity's ancestors and the age-old contest between hunter and hunted.

Humans evolved to be predators and there is no shame in perpetuating that instinct, he said. "It's not just about observing the natural environment but being part of it. It brings us back to our roots as homo sapiens. This is how we survived through all our history."