LONDON — The “Christian the lion” video,which shows a full-grown lion hugging andkissing his former caretakers in a heartwarmingreunion, has become an Internetsensation, logging more than 4 millionviews on YouTube by Thursday afternoon.
According to the Los Angeles Times, thevideo has all the right ingredients of a smashhit: The lion’s menacing slink towards thecamera, then the look of recognition on itsface as it lunges towards the young men toembrace them, with Whitney Houston’s IWill Always Love You playing in the backgroundfor full sentimental effect.But the video is attracting even moreattention because of its back story, whichfirst appeared in the Daily Mail last year.The two men in the clip are Anthony“Ace” Bourke and John Rendall who lived inLondon in 1969.
They bought the lion, thena 16-kilogramme cub, from Harrod’s whichthen sold exotic animals. The departmentstore had acquired the cub from a zoo butwanted to get rid of it after it broke out ofits cage one night and wreaked havoc on adisplay of imported goatskin rugs.The men named the cub Christian andkept it in their living room. They became localcelebrities of sorts, the Daily Mail said, paradingthe cub around London, taking it to restaurantsand even playing football with it.But Christian soon grew to 84 kg and hisfood bills became exorbitant, so they wereforced to move him to a wildlife sanctuary in Kenya.
After visiting him periodically forseveral years, they found out that he hadalready adapted to his new environment andwanted to return for a last good-bye.The men were told the lion would probablynot recognise his old caretakers. But as thevideo shows, Christian not only recognisedthem, but ran to them and hugged them.“Christian stared at us in a very intenseway,” Mr Rendall was quoted by the DailyMail as saying. “Then, as if he became convinced it was us, he ran towards us, threwhimself on to us, knocked us over, knockedGeorge over and hugged us, like he used to,with his paws on our shoulders.
The next day, Christian walked backinto the bush, where his lionesses and cubswere waiting. He was never seen again— but the power of the Internet guaranteesthat he will never be forgotten.
From: www.youtube.com (Christian the lion)
