Born Free Foundation - Keep Wildlife in the Wild

"Millions of people have been moved by the amazing affection between Christian the lion and his human friends, John and Ace.

Just as Elsa the lioness, returned to the wild all those years ago by George and Joy Adamson, awoke a respect and fascination for lions so, I believe, Christian can be another ambassador for these wonderful animals. Now so critically reduced in numbers, across Africa.

If you can help us to help them – join us, adopt a lion, buy the “Christian the Lion” DVD, made by my husband Bill Travers, we would be so grateful."

Virginia McKenna
Born Free Foundation Founder and Trustee

Christian’s story

In 1969 a young Australian, John Rendall and his friend Ace Bourke, bought a small lion cub from Harrods pet department, which was then legal.  ‘Christian’ was kept in the basement of a furniture shop on the Kings Road in Chelsea, the heart of the swinging sixties.  Loved by all, the affectionate cub ate in a local restaurant, played in a nearby graveyard, but was growing fast…  

A chance encounter with Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna led to a new life for Christian.  He came to live in an enclosure and slept in a caravan at their Surrey home.  Then in 1971 he was flown to Kenya, his ancestral home, and returned to the wild by lion-man George Adamson.  Almost a year later in 1972, John and Ace returned to Kora in Kenya and it is their reunion with Christian at this time that is shown in the clip. 

It was an emotional reunion: “He ran towards us, threw himself onto us, knocked us over and hugged us, with his paws on our shoulders.”

John Rendall

Christian left the Kora Reserve in 1973. George Adamson believed that he made his new territory along the Tana river, but when the Wakamba herdsmen brought their livestock to his hunting ground, he moved on. George said in his autobiography, "I used to count the days on which we hadn't seen Christian, but when they reached 97, I gave up recording them in my diary." Because a lion can live from 12 to 15 years in the wild, Adamson believed that Christian ended his days in the Meru National Reserve only a few miles up river.