Christian, The Lion

0 comments   Wednesday, July 30, 2008

hristian was a lion purchased in 1969 by two Australians living in London, John Rendall and Anthony 'Ace' Bourke (sometimes erroneously cited as Ace Berg) from Harrods department store.[1] They had discovered him for sale in Harrods' exotic pets department and, concerned for his conditions and fate, decided to buy him.

However, Christian's increasing size and the cost of looking after him led them to the realization that they could not keep him in London for much longer. Thanks to a chance meeting with Bill Travers (who had starred in the movie Born Free), they hit upon the idea of sending Christian to Africa to live as a wild lion.

A year later, the duo traveled to Kenya to check on Christian’s progress and they were uncertain if the lion would recall them. They put themselves in the open, waiting to see how Christian reacts. The lion did remember them and jumped playfully on them in the manner of their old days back in London. Very touching tale to be told indeed - between Man & Animal.






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