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Christian the Lion - The Story of Christian, John and Ace and the Video

One of the most heartwarming stories on the Internet and television airwaves is of Christian the lion. Christian was purchased in a London shop in the 60s to be a pet for Ace Bourke and John Rendall. It quickly became evident that apartment life was not going to work for Christian, even with the opportunity to run and play in a nearby church's graveyard.  When Christian was 4 months old, he was moved to a secure area on an estate outside of London.  John and Ace stayed in a small trailer near Christian's enclosure.  Christian and his humans bonded, played and developed an amazing relationship that is almost hard to comprehend. 

What do you do with a lion?  He was quickly growing and John and Ace desired Christian have a chance at a normal lion's life in the Wild. Plans were made to move Christian to a nature reserve in Kenya where he would have the chance to form a pride with two other lions.  John and Ace went with Christian to Africa and helped introduce Christian to George, the reserve keeper and his new life.  Christian watched wildlife and accepted it all as part of his new surroundings.  After four weeks, John and Ace made the hard trip home, leaving Christian in the care of George.

One year later Christian's humans made a trip back to the reserve to check on their lion.  They were warned that Christian had adapted well to the life of a lion; no one knew what to expect when Christian saw John and Ace again. 

They knew when Christian spotted them; he stopped walking and stared.  What happened next was amazing. Christian's gait sped up as John and Ace called to him.  He ran to them, jumped up, wrapping his paws around each. Christian remembered his humans and the relationship they had forged!  Amazing! 

Now, they could leave Africa knowing that Christian had adjusted to life in the wild.  Christian's lifespan was probably about 12 years and after two visits to Africa, John and Ace didn't attempt another reunion.

The original video of Christian was uploaded to Youtube by California student Lisa Williams and has become an Internet phenomenon garnering over 50 million views.

The video still moves me, though I have seen it numerous times.  You can view several videos about Christian's journey at http://animal.discovery.com/videos/a-lion-called-christian-cutest-moments/. If you watch, have a tissue nearby. 

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