PetKnows

This video is just too sweet and heartwarming that we had to share - It’s the story of Christian the Lion, the cub who was adopted and raised in a London flat by two buddies before being released into a wildlife refuge in Africa. But what is so touching about the story is that when the friends went to Africa to visit the lion, not only did he remember them but a reunion unlike any other took place. The story goes like this:

“The video is the work of Anthony ‘Ace’ Bourke and John Rendall, two Australians living in the hip Chelsea section of London in 1969. According to published reports, a friend came back from a trip to Harrods and told them that you could buy exotic animals there. The two friends went there out of curiosity and spotted a 35-pound lion cub in a small cage. The cub had been born in a zoo and sold to the department store, which wasn’t considered that unusual back then. But as the 35-pound cub grew to 185 pounds and food bills became astronomical, they knew he would have to be released to a less urban habitat. So they arranged to take him to a wildlife refuge in Kenya. They visited him periodically for several years…

…After going without seeing their old friend for several months, they were told he had adapted to his new environment, and the two returned to say goodbye. That’s when the famed reunion took place.”

You can find the entire story in the Daily Mail and believe me, it’s definitely worth the read. Although the footage was shot in the 1970s it has turned into a sensation gaining thousands of YouTube views and even making its way to television where it became a popular segment on news programs, such as the Today Show which is where I first saw it. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!