Supermodel to the rescue! Cara Delevingne auctions her Tag Heuer watch to raise money for conservation of wild animals in Africa following slaughter of Cecil the lion

  • Cara Delevingne is selling a Tag Heuer watch from her personal collection
  • It is being auctioned to raise money for conservation project WildCru
  • WildCru was studying Cecil the lion when he was shot in Zimbabwe

By Caroline Mcguire for MailOnline

Published: 14:37 EST, 6 August 2015 | Updated: 15:15 EST, 6 August 2015

Cara Delevingne was one of the most vocal critics of the killing of Cecil the lion by Minnesota dentist Dr. Walter Palmer last month. 

Upon hearing the news, the supermodel took to Twitter and labelled the hunter 'a poor excuse of a human being.' 

But the 22 year old has now put her money where her mouth is and auctioned off an item of her jewellery to raise funds to help preserve the future of wild lions in Africa. 

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Cara Delevingne is auctioning her Tage Heuer watch to raise money for conservation project WildCru

Cara Delevingne is auctioning her Tage Heuer watch to raise money for conservation project WildCru

Cara has donated her personal TAG Heuer Signature Edition watch, which she wore to the Monaco Grand Prix, to a conservation charity. 

She has put the timepiece up for auction on Ebay, with all funds raised going to WildCru: Wildlife Conservation Research Unit. By this evening, bids had already reached £5,500. 

Along with the post, Cara, who has a tattoo of a lion on her right index finger, wrote a small post designed to encourage others to contribute to the cause. 

She said: 'The killing of Cecil the Lion was a tragedy. 

'Today join me to help the scientists who care about the future of wild lions in Africa and work very hard on their conservation. 

'Ahead of the official sale of my TAG Heuer Signature Edition watch, I decided to auction my personal timepiece at the link above or go on eBay. I wore this watch on several occasions and during the last Monaco Grand Prix.' 

Cara wore the timepiece she is auctioning to the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this year 

Cara wore the timepiece she is auctioning to the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this year 

She continued: 'The full amount will be refunded to WildCRU.org, the research unit that followed Cecil for many years. So let's join forces!'

Last month Cecil the lion was illegally baited out of a protected Zimbabwe wildlife reserve and shot with an arrow by Dr. Palmer. 

He was then left to suffer from the wound for 40 hours before he was finally brought down, reportedly shot by one of Dr. Palmer's hunting aides. 

Dr. Walter Palmer shot Cecil the lion with an arrow during a recent trip to Zimbabwe
Since then, Palmer has become one of the most hated men in America

Dr. Walter Palmer shot Cecil the lion with an arrow during a recent trip to Zimbabwe 

Cecil was one of the park's oldest lions and was well known for his striking looks and friendly nature.

According to local legend, Cecil was kicked out of his pride and wandered alone until he met another lone lion called Jericho. Cecil and Jericho both had a pride, comprised of six lionesses and several young cubs, situated in the park. 

Since then, Palmer has become one of the most hated men in America, as animal rights activists use Cecil's death as a reason to bring down the big game hunting industry. 

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