"As we have learned more about the needs of wild animals and how inappropriate it is for them to be kept as pets by private individuals, we have come to understand that wildlife belongs in the wild." (George Adamson).
The Encounter at Harrods
1969 was a fantastic time for Australian university buddies Anthony (Ace) Bourke and John Rendall to be in swinging London. But one day when the two young men entered Harrods, the world-renowned department store in Knightsbridge, little did they know that their lives were about to change. Two lion cubs, named Marcus and Marta, from Ilfracombe Zoo in the West of England were being sold in Harrods’ Pet Department. When Ace and John saw Marcus they fell in love with the cub’s personality and character and they immediately thought that the cramped cage was no place for the little creature. They put together 250 guineas (equivalent to seven thousand dollars) to buy the cub’s freedom. They renamed him Christian and took him home.
Christian the Lion - Growing Pains
Criticism from friends rained down on Ace and John. “It’s going to end in tears” friends warned, but the young men already knew the fate of this spunky lion cub was inextricably tied to theirs. Christian lived with Ace and John in a flat they had rented above Sophistocat, a furniture store on London’s King’s Road where they worked. The cub quickly became accustomed to living in the London flat and, like a domestic cat, religiously used his litter box every day. Christian, however, was growing fast and increasingly needed space. Ace and John’s employer gave them permission to take Christian to the spacious Sophistocat basement where the cub would have fun hiding among old furniture and playing other games. But his growing size reminded Ace and John that he was in need of some serious exercise. They obtained permission from a local vicar to take Christian to a church graveyard in the Moravian Cemetery at the end of King's Road where all three would play ball for hours.
When Christian was eight months old, his 70 kilos were becoming a problem. He was eating three kilos of meat each day and was becoming more and more expensive to maintain. Ace and John found a couple of restaurants where they could get plenty of meat so Christian always had juicy steaks but they knew they had to come up with ideas for making more money. They met London photographer Derek Cattani who agreed to do several photo shoots of Christian as a record of his life. Christian proved to be highly photogenic. The photograph shoots not only immortalized Christian forever but they were a financial godsend for Ace and John whose life centered around the growing cub.
The Call of the Wild
Later, an incident brought home to Ace and John that Christian, despite his good nature, was a predator. One day when Ace found a fur belt (which had fallen from a customer’s coat) lying on the floor in the furniture store, he found himself competing for it with Christian. As Ace picked it up Christian began tugging on it, growling and snarling he flattened his ears as a sign of aggression - it was a clear signal that Christian wanted the belt and that he wasn’t going to relinquish it. Ace and John quickly realized that Christian would soon need a new home but the options were not appealing. The circus or the zoo were out of the question for Ace and John who didn't want Christian to live in captivity like his parents.
The Decision to Take Christian to Africa
Christian’s fate was to change when one day, in an extraordinary chance encounter, actor Bill Travers and his wife, actress Virginia McKenna, who played George and Joy Adamson in the award-winning 1966 feature film Born Free, entered Sophistocat. When they saw Christian they offered to provide a temporary home for the cub in the garden of their country home. Bill also offered to explore the idea that Christian might be able to be taken to Africa for release into the wild by lion wildlife expert and conservationist George Adamson. Ace and John were enthusiastic about the thought of giving Christian his freedom but Bill knew there would be several hurdles and a lot of red tape to overcome before the dream could become reality. Bill also decided to make a documentary film record of Christian’s story wherever it led. He called it Christian The Lion at World’s End.
Bill and George succeeded on securing their first objective - permission to establish a remote camp in the Kora National Reserve, north-east of Nairobi. However, Bill’s negotiations with the Kenyan government seemed endless as months passed and Christian was growing rapidly in size and weight. Time in Bill and Virginia’s country garden passed slowly.
Christian’s Final Weeks with Ace and John
Christian loved the country and this was the closest he had ever been to the wild. Ace and John had quit their jobs and moved into a caravan in the Travers’ garden so they could be close to their feline buddy. These were the last few weeks that Ace and John would spend with Christian. After lengthy negotiations, the Kenyan government finally gave Bill Travers the green light. For a year, John and Ace’s lives had centered on Christian and now they had to give freedom a try. Of course there would be risks but risks worth taking with freedom as the prize.
John and Ace wanted to ensure that the lengthy flight to Kenya would not cause Christian any undue stress so they did many trial runs by introducing Christian to the inside of the large crate that was going to be used to fly him off to Africa. When the day finally arrived, the Travers took Christian to Heathrow. When Christian’s travelling crate was attached to the hoist and lifted onto the aircraft Ace and John wondered if he'd survive the long journey to Africa. But Christian made it through the 15-hour flight and once he was let out, ran towards Ace and John giving them a big lion hug. George Adamson who came to meet them at Nairobi’s international airport, was delighted with how well Christian had endured the flight.
George Adamson Wildlife Conservation
George and Joy Adamson left the world a legacy; the remarkable true story of Elsa the lioness, immortalised in Born Free, a non-fictional book written in 1960 by Joy Adamson. The story of Elsa’s life, the anguish and remorse the Adamsons felt when they decided to send Elsa’s siblings to a zoo in Rotterdam, the decision of the Adamsons to give her the chance of freedom in the African wild, touched the hearts of tens of millions of people. The enormous success of the book inspired a feature film production in 1966 which received world-wide recognition and became an instant classic.
However, Joy and George Adamson were regarded as controversial conservation figures by some who deplored the idea that animals might be individuals with individual characteristics and needs. Reintroducing lions in the wild was seen as risky and some experts said that because of the lions' familiarity with humans, such a project could never be risk-free. But for John and Ace Kora Reserve represented Christian's best chance of freedom. Thanks to the arrangements and plans coordinated by Bill Travers, they took Christian to live with George in the hope of establishing a new lion pride, with Christian at its heart.
Christian’s New Lion Pride
Adamson gradually introduced Christian to a new family composed of an older male lion named Boy, who had been used in the film Born Free, and a female cub named Katania. He did this as gradually and cautiously as possible. Boy greeted Christian’s presence with a display of aggression, which caused Christian to run and hide behind Ace. However, one day Adamson said they would just have to bite the bullet and let them meet for real. The attack, when it came, was brief and noisy - everyone feared for the worst. But amazingly Christian’s lion instincts kicked in. He cowered and showed submissive behaviour – which was what Boy wanted all along. Christian was unhurt but he had been put in his place by Boy. Once the pecking order had been established the two lions became inseparable friends.
Tragedy Strikes Christian’s Pride
Knowing that Christian’s future was out of their hands, Ace and John returned to London where they received regular bulletins from George about Christian. In 1971 when Boy attacked one of Adamson's assistants, he had no choice but to raise his rifle and shoot Boy dead. This was a devastating incident which became international news as newspapers speculated about the inherent dangers of Adamson’s already controversial work. Katania, the cub, had also disappeared – possibly devoured by crocodiles. Poor Christian had lost key members of his pride and would sit by Boy’s grave for hours. But he had begun to make friendships with other lions. There was hope for the pride after all.
1971, the Reunion One Year Later
Back in London, Ace and John were devastated by the news and were seriously concerned about Christian so they decided to travel to Kenya. It was nearly a year since they had left Christian to his new life and Adamson warned them that Christian might not remember them. How wrong he was! The extraordinary reunion between Christian and the two men was included in Bill’s documentary Christian, The Lion at World's End. In 2009 the video went viral on YouTube and was viewed by millions around the world.
"He ran towards us, threw himself onto us, knocked us over and hugged us, with his paws on our shoulders." Ace and John Rendall fondly recalled. Virginia McKenna called it “an embrace of love!” By now Christian had established firm bonds with two female lions who also greeted John and Ace as if they were new members of the pride. They were repaid for their sacrifices! During the year Christian spent in Kenya, he had grown and had adapted well to the wild, but in many ways he was still the London cub the two men had raised. Christian hadn’t forgotten his London ways and playful antics, only now he was no longer living in the confines of a London flat. His home was the African bush where Christian’s kind is the king of the jungle.
In a television interview in 2009, Ace said that the reunion was so incredible that it was irrelevant whether it was between animal and human. Both he and John knew that they were part of something very special and it was easier to leave Christian a second time.
Good Bye Christian, Free Forever
John and Ace saw Christian again in Africa in 1972. Again, Adamson warned them the lion might not recognize them. Still they waited three days and finally Christian showed up. Christian had grown even more immense and this time he greeted John and Ace with the dignity of a proud adult lion.
They had a wonderful time playing games but this would be the last time. On the last night Ace and John went looking for Christian but he was gone. He was no longer dependent on any of them and they considered his successful return to the wild a huge success. Sadly, Ace and John knew they had to step back. Adamson was the right man for Christian and they left with a good feeling in their hearts. Christian lived in and around the wildlife reserve in the Kora Reserve area until he was seen no more. George Adamson assumed that Christian had crossed over the Tana River and out of the Reserve.
Sources:
- Virginia McKenna, Born Free Foundation founder and trustee
- Will Travers, Born Free Foundation CEO
Giovanna De Gennaro - Giovanna is a Canadian citizen who has travelled and worked abroad. She speaks four languages and has worked as an EFL teacher in Italy. ...
