What an unbelievable story: Christian, A true Lion King
By John Amato Tuesday Jul 22, 2008 10:00pm
It's stories like this that really are incredible. I know it's been around for a while, but I never saw it before. A couple raised a lion cub in the UK and eventually he got too big to handle so they brought Christian back to Africa. A year later they visited him even though there was a great chance that he would have---forgotten them---and not been very kind since he lived in the wild and all, but surprisingly he remembered them. The affection he showed was pretty remarkable. Here's more on the story. "Christian, the lion who lived in my London living room"
"Christian stared at us in a very intense way," says Rendall. "I knew his expressions and I could see he was interested. We called him and he stood up and started to walk towards us very slowly.
"Then, as if he had become convinced it was us, he ran towards us, threw himself on to us, knocked us over, knocked George over and hugged us, like he used to, with his paws on our shoulders."Everyone was crying. We were crying, George was crying, even the lion was nearly crying."...read on
How sweet and touching..A lovely video, Thanks for posting it.
That could have gone so bad they wouldn't even have been able to show the clip on Fox's "When Reintroduced Wild Animals Attack Their Former Caregivers."
I love this sort of story.
Here's another incredible story, seemingly unbelievable at first glance, yet the scores of evidence points to it being true. A message of hope. See the movie on this page. "Breaking the biggest story in history"
http://wrldtchr.weebly.com
Very touching clip but why do the captions at the end remind me of a phone commercial?
What a truly amazing story and video. It brought tears to my eyes and is a truly inspiring way to begin my school day. Thanks so much!
Well...*yawns*...that's nice I guess...but I don't think they should have been allowed to have that lion to begin with.
And Michael @ 3.....ok....you had better share some of that what yer smokin...'cause, damn. You gotta be high.
Yeesh, did they HAVE to use that song? Awww! Is someone chopping onions? )sniffle(
I wonder if the guys had ever seen Christian in 'attack mode' before and thus when he ran towards them, knew he wasn't being aggressive---otherwise they had to have a lot of trust and/or just knew his demeanor so well.
There was quite a lot of exotic animal buying in the UK at that time. In my neighborhood someone had a chimpanzee, a big blue and gold macaw and a baby elephant (fortunately they had a big garden with a lot of rhododendron and bamboo---bot plants grow easily in Surrey--so it was an appropriately 'jungly' environment. They had to give up the elephant pretty quickly, then the chimp but they kept the macaw which seemed very happy living in their garden.
Someone else in the area had a leopard that she'd bring with her into Woking (town) every so often (I saw it once) but one day they encountered a women wearing a leopard coat and the big cat of course took a major interest so the woman was forced to give the cat up to a zoo.
Domestic cats of course seem to pick and choose the terms and timing of their sociability and affection; they might ignore you all day until you start typing on a keyboard or something and then they are all over you for some reason (for my mother it was when she was trying to lay out patterns for her sewing).
The cats we had as a kid really bonded with each other and with me, as I had the time to play with them and they had a garden and woods as well that kept them psychologically healthy as it were.
The leader of our "pride" (Mimsey) would often lay a dead mouse at my mother's feet in the morning as she got up. She'd acknowledge the gift and then Mimsey would pick it up and take it outside, then come back in for his scheduled tinned cat-food breakfast.
When I began commuting to school I was gone all day--out of the door at 7.30 am and back at the top of our street at about 5. 45 pm or at times 6.30 pm, Jaffa (orange tabby, now head of the 'pride') would meet me at the top of the street and begin walking with me back to the house, joined progressively by Dvetchka , Sobraine and Sextus so I'd arrive at the front door with a full escort. It was a great way to come home.
I kept waiting for the attack... Glad it didn't happen but being conditioned by reality TV and FAUX makes you expect the worst. Nice Video.
disclaimer.... and yes.. I did cry when I watched the video
Less well-known is that the couple named their dog "Alpo."
I, too, had tears in my eyes. I would've been nervous at first when Christian came bounding over to them! Those folks are either real couragous or kinda stupid!
Great vid1
fake. You can MAYBE believe Christian loves them etc...but HIS MATE! his "wife", if this was real would eat their long locked asses
err um Mr NOPE at comment 13.... did you notice the shirtless man in the background... (he's the guy who monitors the big cats return into the wild) the lion is being raised in a preserve or something (still considered the wild)... there would have been no way for the two guys to find him otherwise...
It is completely and totally plausible, cats have terrific memories (except my cat, who is slightly mental and talks to herself in the mirror and gets super excited every time I empty the litter box that she has to muster up a new deposit the second I clean it)
thank you, john. i watched through my tears with my lab by my side. Animals regardless of the species have the same eyes.
Nice, but fake. The man walking in the end proves the lions aren't wild in the first place. These lions are used to humans. Second, lions have harems, not wives.
...and when we saw him he ran towards us and ripped Mel's throat out with one swift blow of his paw...
What an amazing story! Very, very touching!
what utter codswallop!!!!!!
I still maintain a healthy level of cynicism about this story. At the very least skepticism.
But yes, suitably *touching* for the oh so cruel modern world.
jason king @ 19:
HA!!! Codswallop?! Love it!
cat lovers: rejoice!
I'm often called cynical,but I find this story amazing as well as possible. Great stuff.
The entire movie can be seen in 10 parts on YouTube from this playlist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzxms9-qQZ4&feature=PlayList&p=532EEEE868...
I saw this a few weeks ago on the discovery channel. It's a heartwarming story. I love how his "wife" was as friendly as the lion was. Beautiful stuff.
Michael @ 3:
Oh for God's sake. What exactly is it about a touching "lion loves man" video that inspires religious proselytizing?
Never mind. Don't answer that. I'm not the least bit interested. And thanks for spoiling my buzz.
So touching. What makes it seem fake is the hideous music. Why oh why must we listen to such dreck?
Amazing! Animals never forget.
Doesn’t anyone remember “Born Free”?
really really beautiful story.....thank you for sharing it with us...I will pass it on...thank you again.
"Then, in 1989, he was ambushed and killed by bandits."
Skip to the end - the world is awash in tragedy for every tiny island of joy.
Wasn't this posted a few days ago? Am I losing my mind? Did I miss something?
[We had a problem and it posted late last night/early this morning. We removed it and reposted it at a later time-Sitemonitor]
27 Wisterley Says:
So touching. What makes it seem fake is the hideous music. Why oh why must we listen to such dreck?
Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You is hideous music? Me thinks you need a hearing test!
I could watch cute kitty videos all day. Watching this one brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for sharing !
Attila the pun @ 33:
Well, by this point the song has long since lost any meaning, which is why it feels so trite and manufactured.
Born Free - Joy & Elsa - A Love Story
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NCdMVSF-rJc
That's love - Lion kisses rescuer
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5JigvI-mWig
There are reasons I always break out into a smile when reaching for Crooks & Liars bookmark.
Thanks girls and guys.
omg, that's an incredibly moving story and a rare piece of video, considering it was shot in 1974! I admit, I, too, always hated that Whitney Houston song, until I saw this. Now I'm all verklempt! Animals just saw awesome, always surprising us.
ps, I LOVED the background story too, with the limeys snapping pics of their baby back at their styling 60's flat--beautiful, spontaneous baby pics of him just doing everyday silly things like any other household pet would do
The background story with pics and the film juxtaposed together makes for a real weeper.
no longer a proud american @ 15:
Except cave salamanders
George Adamson, who reintroduced Christian to the wild, can be seen in the video at about 1:49. He's the older shirtless man with the cane who walks through the shot.
John, thanks so much for posting this. I saw 'Born Free' when I was little, and was a fan of George and Joy Adamson ever after. It's so cool to discover an unknown chapter in their story.
fake @16, you obviously did not read the background story. That man was likely conservationist George Adamson and weaning that pride into the wild was his project. These lions already knew the man.
"Finally, in 1974, George Adamson wrote to say that the pride was self-sufficient. Christian was defending it."
Read the story before making judgments about what's fake.
liberalNmoderation @6: You didnt read the backgroud story either! He was adopted by a couple of kindhearted English chaps from a shop where he had to live in a cage, in 1969:
"Today, it would be unthinkable for a shop to take such a cavalier attitude towards selling exotic animals (though Harrods did, at least, provide Ace and Rendall with diet sheets).
And it is hard to imagine either the animal rights lobby or any local council condoning a shop as a suitable habitat for a lion. But, back then, no one minded at all."
I will go to bed happy tonight after seeing such a beautiful moment. Thanks John.
Thanks John, every time I see or hear that story I cry at the joy of their reunion....and the vulnerability of the big cats. Most expect they will be extinct in the wild within 50 years because of habitat loss and their only predators, humans.
Christian was released to George Adamson, the original lion conservationist, in Kenya. Adamson was murdered stopping poachers in 1989. His wife Joy was murdered in 1980. Both were killed by humans trying to save the lions from humans. I go with the lion.
Howie told me about it and I thought it was going to have a sad ending also..
That was great. Thanks for sharing.
That's the stuff!
I tried re-introducing a lobster that my parents had caught back into the wild, hoping that he would re-acclimate himself and live on yet still recognize me when I came to visit, but a week later, when I biked back to the woods where I set him free, I couldn't find him. :(
This is an incredibly beautiful video - thanks for posting it. Every time I see it I am more convinced that animals are capable of thought processes that are much more advanced than what they are given credit for.
There are also true tales of cats and dogs who, after being left behind, find their owners who have moved hundreds of miles, or more away - even if it takes them a few years.
As the film says, "love knows no limits", and as the film shows, animals are capable of expressing their love to their caretakers.
What an incredible story! We have a feral cat colony living near us, and the cats spend a lot of time in our yard. One mother cat had a litter on top of our metal shed. We caught the mother, and had her fixed. We also caught one female from that litter and fixed her! It's been about 1 1/2 years now. We feed them daily. Two kinds of dry food, and one can of cat meat per day. We keep plenty of shelter for them, and their friends. After 1 1/2 years, we can't even pet those 2! I sure hope those 2 guys appreciate what a grateful lion they raised! We'd give anything just for a "sign" !
too bad humans can't be this loving
The coolness of this story is marked by how it is nearly ruined by the use of one of the worst songs ever created.
Seriously, that pos song wasn't necessary at all to highlight an interesting tale.
Well if i didn't know better this gay couple just loved a lion and it was an awesome son. I wonder what kind of loving individule a person would make. Fuckin christians
This was incredibly irresponsible on many levels. Yes it is sweet that the lion remembered them but it could easily have turned out way differently. Sorry to be Debby Downer on this one, but I am not a fan. Reminds me of "Grizzly Man."
Funny you posted this. I work for Untamed & Unwild for the Animal Planet, I had to transcribe all the interviews involved with the episode, and there's so much that didn't make it on air that was just awesome to hear. It was a really fascinating story, one of my favorite episodes to work on so far.
The meeting of maudlin and cool.
But wait -- they sold lions at Harrods??? Can we get some fak checkineah?
I'm going down to Macy's tomorrow to pick up a Kimodo dragon. I hear they got a bunch of pups in.
Yes, it is touching when we anthropomorphize animals. Only problem is that distorts their natural instincts. For instance, I might think I'm making my dog happy by feeding him whoppers, but surely that isn't good for him, nor is allowing him to put the leash in his mouth, causing him to lead me, which means I have no control over him when the neighbor jogs by us. I have no doubt that had these chumps approached Christian while he was "in season" they would have been torn to shreds.
As an owner of an exotic animal, I can say don't try to keep an exotic animal as a pet.
On the other hand, I can also say don't put down people who already do.
Smitty @ 45:
I just saw a documentary that said their numbers are plummeting due to distemper they are getting from dogs. They have vaccinated some 30,000 dogs but it still remains a danger.
Whole prides are being wiped out. And of course there is human encroachment. Even in Africa, the animals are losing the little land left to them.
For anyone who left a cynical response, I encourage you to read the whole story posted in the link, and also feel free to look it up on Snopes. There's a lot more to it than, "He's our big kitty and he loves us." I'm sorry none of you can find joy or wonder in life any longer.
I was simultaneously crying and cracking up as I watched it. Thanks for posting it, John.
what tripe! What dooms lions is their lack of fear of man...and thus a willingness to prey on livestock.
Why on earth would anyone raise a cub by hand to release into the wild???
Jess,
Because a few of us think that private persons raising lions is irresponsible means we can no longer find wonder and joy in life? I'd just rather not see another Sigfried and Roy situation. Also, publicity of this kind of story encourages people not to see these cats as the beautiful and WILD creatures that they are. Such close contact between humans and lions would endanger the humans in the short term and the lions in the long term. Again, not trying to be a downer but there are plenty of beautiful and inspirational stories in this world that don't involve such irresponsible behavior on the part of people.
KITTY! <3
I like the areosmith one better.
That. Was. Something. (pass the kleenex ;-))
Thinking of my dog, and the dogs before the current, I always wondered whether animals, particularly dogs, feel love.
My current dog, Buddy, has convinced me that they do. There are just a handful of people with whom I had the same experience, either way.
That song was originally done by Dolly Parton (who wrote it) -- her version was sweet, melancholic, and believe it or not, understated.
And then, Whitney happened...
While I agree that keeping an exotic animal is irresponsible (they attack their owners more often than you would think), it is a sweet story.
Lions are pack animals, so they are more easily able to form bonds.... however, they are big and dangerous, even when playing.
An interesting story I remember was some guy raised and released a few lions, even going so far as to spend time with them in the wild to show them how to survive and even hunt. Interestingly enough, the lions were protective of the man, even going so far as to attack dangerous animals that came close. I can't remember the name of the book I found it in, it was a long time ago. I remember he helped them learn how to hunt. It was interesting to see just how formidable they were. If they wanted to, they could have killed him with just a swipe of their paws. They were taking down large prey. They even killed a leopard... rather brutally, I recall. They were especially vicious when the leopard tried to make a move on the human.
However, the animals came on hard times, partially due to their lack of fear of man. From what I remember, two were shot. The mail was injured by a pair of male lions protecting their territory.
Life can be cruel, and animals like lions, are meant to be wild.
Just my two cents.
We live in a high rise in a major city. Our cat goes out everynight (and some times even for 2/3 days) and comes back just before dawn, usually with a disgusting catch of the day. I don't know how she remembers our apartment in a high rise.
Rusty Shackleford @ 10:
A strict Christian diet is all that lion wants. p.s. hold the mayo
when will people learn that making words appear one at a time is incredibly annoying to your readers? i blame powerpoint for putting this idea in people's heads.
I hope other lions in the wild dont try to imitate Christian and attempt to give human beings a hug. If they do, they will be an awful lot of dead lions.
`Sphinx for the story of man - lion interfacing.
Very touching. Unfortunately lions don't know their own strength--it could have gone the way of Siegfried and Roy if they weren't lucky.
And yeah, good song, but bad performance. Next time, use the Dolly Parton version.
the critics are missing the point. they didn't keep a wild animal. they got christian, who was born in a trashy zoo, from harrods, because they didn't want to see the cub left there. then, when christian got large, they luckily made contact with george adamson, who reintroduced christian to the wild. they were clearly heartbroken to give up christian, but at all times they were trying to do what was best for christian.
the story is documented in a film "christian the lion", and also in a (very hard to get) book by one of the owners. it is not in the slightest bit fake.
How about no music at all? Fortunately, the images are strong enough to overcome the incredibly cheesy music.
Yup it even passes the Snopes Test
orcas @ 73:
Dead people, better, imho...there aren't nearly enough lions in the world, and way way way too many people.
Man I must be getting old..Isnt this the story of "Born Free"?
Animals are people too.
When I was nine my mother brought home a scrawny kitten she'd gotten from a truck driver who was looking to find it a good home. The truck driver had literally shoveled him up off the road where he found the kitten frozen to the ground after an ice storm. The kitten grew to be a twenty pound tabby and though he slept in my bed...was Mom's cat. When I was 16 my Mom was placed in a nursing home due to MS.
As her mind began to fail due to the ravages of the disease..she still asked about J the cat. When I was 24 ... J was 15. He hadn't seen my mother for 8 years. Anyway, after one visit with Mom I brought back a stuffed animal that she'd had kept in her bed with her. She insisted I take it home.
I put the toy on my bed and didn't think anything of it until I saw J freeze...sniff it...and then began purring VERY loudly...he rubbed his face against it..and then his whole body! It was obvious...in that moment he recognized the scent of my mother and he was overjoyed. He continued the behavior until he fell asleep next to the stuffed animal. It made me cry.
So my opinion on this video? Totally true and unsurprising!
Great story. Thanks.
(Even the monkeys have some healthy respect for lions).
NoOneYouKnow @ 81:
Yes, they are... I tend to like animals more than people sometimes, for a multitude of reasons, many of which are expressed sadly in politics.
pk @ 62:
Sometimes I wonder why people raise baby humans by hand just to subject them to the rest of humanity... and they still do anyway. Better to raise a lion that gets killed than to raise a little tyrant who kills, I think.
Very touching, this story. A true testament to the benefits of a true heart and a steady hand. ^_^
Attila the pun @ 28:
I remember Elsa and the very touching movie. That was truly a reunion. Animals do remember someone that treats them with kindness and love.
I. Conoplastic @ 30:
OH, GROW UP!!
For those who don't go on to read whole story, cool bit re Born Free, the actors in that movie, that had just come out, were shopping for an antique table and walked into the store....where Christian hung out, and that's how Christian's patrons got connected with Adamson. Waaahhh, what a great story, thanks for posting.
ferrofluid (Obama 08) @ 40:
You make a very good point... thanks for the laughs!
I loved the video! (I didn't care for the music)
A couple of weeks ago, my male cat Binky returned after being gone for over 4 months. He returned one evening and there was a joyous reunion. I was glad to see him, and he was obviously glad to see me. He kept howling (no meows from this cat) and rubbing up against me. When I picked him up, he buried his head in my neck and kept purring and rubbing himself on me. I put him down to feed him and he stayed right by me and wouldn't leave. He looked a little worn and beat up showcasing a few new scars from being a kitty loose in a city, but he has not left since his return, and each time I see him he calls out and comes up to see me and rubs on me. He was part of a feral litter of cats whom I was able to tame somewhat. It took a lot of work and time, but the way that I did it was by putting out food and when the cats came to eat I would try to pet them. If they ran away, I would take the food away. Consuela, the mother cat was the first one I did this with and it worked for the most part. The mama showed the kittens that being petted for food was an okay thing to do. Now, they can be handled and picked up by me because they trust me. They are still street cats and not lap kitties, but Binky's return and affection may earn him that position within the cheesesauce pack of critters.
hey something else I'm glad I dont need to care about...