Two Men Befriend a Lion and the Story of Their Reunion is Heartwarming

Lions are the second largest living cat and are known as the “King of the Beasts”. They are known for their ferocious nature, often killing their prey through asphyxiation. Lions are also extremely territorial, with the male lions primarily defending the pride against intruders.

Having said all that, one can then assume that human contact with lions is dangerous, given their wild nature. However, the story of this lion and two compassionate men can prove otherwise.

In 1969, John Rendall and Ace Bourke saw a lion cub being peddled in Harrods. Feeling sympathy for the poor animal, Rendall and Bourke decided to bring it home to their flat, with the local vicar allowing the lion to run around the church grounds for exercise. Unfortunately though, the lion which they named Christian, grew too large for them to be able to continue keeping in their flat. Having no other plausible choice, they decided to release Christian back into the wild. One year after releasing Christian into the wild, they wanted to visit him and see his living conditions, but were advised not to proceed with their plans because Christian has fully integrated into the wild and was already leading his own pride. Not heeding the advice given to them, they proceeded and visited Christian anyway.

After many hours of searching for Christian and his pride, Rendall and Bourke finally found him. Watch the heartwarming reunion of man and the King of Beast here:

Such a wonderful reunion! Christian even introduced his wife to Rendall and Bourke! This heartwarming video just proves that if you show a creature kindness and love, it will treat you with the same kindness and respect.