Behind the Scenes of “Hugging Lion” Reunion: Video
If you haven’t seen this video on YouTube about the “hugging lion”, be sure to watch it below. It’s the story of Christian – a lion cub who was adopted at Harrod’s department store in London in the 1970’s (yes, they used to sell wild animals there), raised by two men, and released into the wild when he got too big for their apartment. I’ve seen this clip before, but it wasn’t until the Today Show featured it this week that I saw it again.
After watching it, you probably understand why that video (and a similar version of it) has racked up 12 million hits on Youtube to date. Because it’s remarkable to see a wild lion, who could easily have killed those two men, remember its love for them instead and smother them with hugs and kisses. I’d like to think Christian was thanking them for taking him from that cramped cage in Harrod’s, raising him for a year, and releasing him back in Africa where he belonged.
MSNBC caught up with one of the men who raised and released Christian the Lion and featured him in this article. Shocked by how popular the video has become, John Rendall says he hopes it will inspire people to become more interested in wildlife conservation. Rendall has remained an active supporter of the George Adamson Trust. Adamson was the man who facilitated the release of Christian in Africa and kept tabs on him for his first two wild years.
“I grew up in the bush in Australia,” he told TODAY. “I was pretty shocked to see this animal, even if it was three months old, in this tiny cage: ‘This isn’t right. We really have to do something about this.’ And right there [we] decided to buy him.”
Now Rendall hopes that the sudden popularity of the old film will help wildlife conservation efforts. He has remained an active supporter of the Mkomazi Game Reserve in Tanzania and the George Adamson Trust. Tragically, Adamson himself was killed during local unrest 14 years after the video was shot.
Rendall doesn’t know who posted the first video on YouTube, but he doesn’t mind that they did. “It’s a lovely story and we’re delighted people are interested in it,” he said. “If they want to support the George Adamson Trust, we’re delighted.”















August 4th, 2008 @ 3:31 pm
Wow. That’s amazing.