Pietermaritzburg -The internet has been abuzz with clips of Christian the Lion and the reunion between him and his former owners John Rendall and Anthony "Ace"
Bourke.
The clip shows the lion approaching the pair from a mountain slope, and upon recognition, astonishingly, runs up and embraces the two men with licks and hugs.
The reunion took place in 1972. It was in 1969 that Rendall and Bourke purchased Christian from London's Harrods department store, which was then legal.
The problem was that the lion cub grew up too fast, and so in 1971 he was flown to Kenya, his ancestral home, and returned to the wild by lion-man George Adamson (who was later murdered in 1988 in Kenya).
'Such love and excitement'
Nine months later in 1972, John and Ace returned to Kora in Kenya.
Christian's former owners had been told the lion wouldn't recognise them.
But the video shows the lion's obvious joy at being reunited with the two men.
"He ran toward us with such love and excitement in his eyes, and we felt exactly the same way. We were just so excited to see him, looking so big and healthy. The story had just turned out so beautifully, when it could have had a very different ending."
Some of the clips on YouTube have reached in excess of 12 million views.
Recent TV shows in the US highlighted the activity, which catapulted the statistics even further.
The following are two clips from the internet craze surrounding Christian the Lion currently:
The original documentary: Christian the Lion - Full Ending:
Christian the Lion owners John Rendall and Anthony "Ace" Bourke 35 years later on the Today Show:
Christian the Lion 28/08/2008 10:24
Aahhh...that's cute. Nice to get a heartwarming story on this miserably cold winter's day. - Simba
:o) 28/08/2008 11:07
Pussycats NEVER forget! :o)
I saw it on You Tube last week and it even had me tearing up! - Maxine
Was wondering... 28/08/2008 11:25
about this. I got this video on my email about a year ago and was wondering if it was true or if it was maybe a scene set up with a trained lion for a movie or something. Thanks for the story Ryan! It really is one of those pick-me-up stories and has put a smile on my face! - Chantelle
The amazing lion 28/08/2008 11:40
Saw from the hairstyles that it was in the '70's. Thought it was true but not 100% sure. Sure put a tear in my eye. Does anyone know if the lion lived to a ripe old age? - Jan
animals are sentient beings not food or hunting trophies 28/08/2008 12:17
All animals are intelligent, have personalities, can build friendships and remember people after years. Its not just lions. Watching this clip gives me a real sense of peace, knowing that I'm vegan and that hopefully other people will also make the connection that will help to reclassify animals as sentient beings and not hunting trophies and food.
www.elated.co.za - Karen Johnson
Christian the Lion 28/08/2008 14:09
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_the_Lion - MW
