I had the privkidge to help raise an orphan lion cub with my colleagues from a local TV show. It was back in the early 1970's and would never happen today, but the experience changed the way I feel about these marvelous animals. Lions grow very quickly, and what begins as a cuddly ball of fur soon becomes a rambunctious adolescent the size of a large dog. I would never trade the time I had with Sasha, our lion, but I was also very glad to see her returned to a wildlife refuge where she could be with other lions and have a somewhat more normal life. Though I got my share of scratches from Sasha, she never bit or hurt me with malice. That said, I know I was lucky and today I would never attempt to domesticate one of these amazing animals.
Campaign contributions from oil industry executives to Sen. John McCain rose dramatically in the last half of June, after the senator from Arizona made a high-profile split with environmentalists and reversed his opposition to the federal ban on offshore drilling.
Oil and gas industry executives and employees donated $1.1 million to McCain last month -- three-quarters of which came after his June 16 speech calling for an end to the ban -- compared with $116,000 in March, $283,000 in April and $208,000 in May.
OlderAndWiser
· 1 year ago
Why am I not surprised? They'll do anything and pay anything not to have to kill their golden goose and research alternative forms of energy.
OlderAndWiser
· 1 year ago
Wildlife in Africa is as endangered as wildlife in the US; that's what happens when humans take over their territory. And don't wild animals raised in captivity have trouble surviving in the wild? All that human contact would have to have an effect on the animal as well as on animals in the wild itself. Infant animals are taught from birth how to survive out there, something no human can teach them. Responsible animal rights organizations recommend that wild animals be released back into the wild after 24 hours of human captivity.
I am against animals being used in circuses, zoos and other public venues, as well as those being "raised" by individuals. Such animals are not domesticated like the dogs and cats that have been for centuries, and their environments must be protected. Even though they might be able to respond in what humans consider emotional response, it's evident that humans are projecting, just as they project onto domestic animals. We feed and care for our domestic animals, but they are not our children, and for centuries were not so much treated as "pets" but as working animals which contributed to the survival of families, herding, ratting, etc.
As much as I love my own 3 dogs, they are not human but they are treated humanely, but not the same way I treat other humans, however. I wouldn't spend untold amounts of money if they were terminally ill, or required major surgery, for instance, esp. at the risk of not taking care of myself, which is becoming more and more a regular occurrence in the US. There was an interesting discussion about this on NPR the other day.
domino
· 1 year ago
Thanks, I loved Born Free as a child and it was my first single. That was Bill Travers in the video. He played George Adamson in the movie.
tduffy2
· 1 year ago
A modern day Born Free. Brought tears to my eyes... Thank you.
Damned_at_Random
· 1 year ago
Female lions do the hunting for the pride, so I expect the big guy was easier to release than Elsa (Born Free). People with "exotic" pets do the animal a huge disservice and it frequently turns out badly for the animal.
houstonray
· 1 year ago
That video is amazing. I've seen it several times (and there are some other version on you tube with difference visuals and audio soundtracks) and I cry every time. I know, I'm a softy for an animal story, what can I say...
“The measure of a society can be how well its people treat its animals.” ~ Gandhi
Steve_in_CNJ
· 1 year ago
that's really heartwarming. but slightly misleading. lions (the males) don't live in prides. they are pretty solitary. the lionesses do all the work, including organizing communities. that lion was still too young to have a mate. and you can be sure neither "christian" nor his "wife" do any hunting. too tame. it's probably a nice petting zoo in kenya somewhere. but heartwarming.
Domino -- With regard to your comment, that is not Bill Travers the actor who portrayed George Adamson. That is George Adamson. When it was decided to return Christian to Kenya, it was Bill Travers who suggested that George Adamson would be just the person who would be able to train Christian to return to the wild. Prior to John Rendall and Ace Berge traveling to Kenya to try and find Christian, it was Adamson who helped them. The day that Rendall and Berge Adamson told them that Christian had returned to the sanctuary the day before and that he was out sitting on his favorite rock waiting for them.
Didn't mean to be critical of your comment but wanted to correct the record. I found this out by doing some additional research after first seeing this video the other day. In fact, there is a page at Adamson's website devoted exclusively to Christian.
I hope this additional information adds a bit more to this truly remarkable story.
KansasModerate
· 1 year ago
I understand and appreciate your feelings about holding the lion cubs.
Years ago I had the same experience at a nature park in Florida. I got to hold a cub (probably also about 12 weeks old) and didn't want to let him go. And he didn't seem to want to be let go since he fell asleep with his head on my shoulder. While some people believe all wild animals belong in the wild, I was thankful the little fellow would grow up in an American nature reserve and not have to endure the encroachment of development on his habitat and not be a target of poachers.
MikeinSanJo
· 1 year ago
Ditto what Domino said below. I LOVED the film as a child, and the song:
Born Free
Born free, as free as the wind blows As free as the grass grows Born free to follow your heart
Live free, and beauty surrounds you The world still astounds you Each time you look at a star
*Stay free, where no walls divide you You're free as a roaring tide So there's no need to hide
Born free, and life is worth living But only worth living Cause you're born free
All Comments
Industry Gushed Money After Reversal on Drilling
Campaign contributions from oil industry executives to Sen. John McCain rose dramatically in the last half of June, after the senator from Arizona made a high-profile split with environmentalists and reversed his opposition to the federal ban on offshore drilling.
Oil and gas industry executives and employees donated $1.1 million to McCain last month -- three-quarters of which came after his June 16 speech calling for an end to the ban -- compared with $116,000 in March, $283,000 in April and $208,000 in May.
I am against animals being used in circuses, zoos and other public venues, as well as those being "raised" by individuals. Such animals are not domesticated like the dogs and cats that have been for centuries, and their environments must be protected. Even though they might be able to respond in what humans consider emotional response, it's evident that humans are projecting, just as they project onto domestic animals. We feed and care for our domestic animals, but they are not our children, and for centuries were not so much treated as "pets" but as working animals which contributed to the survival of families, herding, ratting, etc.
As much as I love my own 3 dogs, they are not human but they are treated humanely, but not the same way I treat other humans, however. I wouldn't spend untold amounts of money if they were terminally ill, or required major surgery, for instance, esp. at the risk of not taking care of myself, which is becoming more and more a regular occurrence in the US. There was an interesting discussion about this on NPR the other day.
“The measure of a society can be how well its people treat its animals.” ~ Gandhi
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-45282...
Didn't mean to be critical of your comment but wanted to correct the record. I found this out by doing some additional research after first seeing this video the other day. In fact, there is a page at Adamson's website devoted exclusively to Christian.
I hope this additional information adds a bit more to this truly remarkable story.
Years ago I had the same experience at a nature park in Florida. I got to hold a cub (probably also about 12 weeks old) and didn't want to let him go. And he didn't seem to want to be let go since he fell asleep with his head on my shoulder. While some people believe all wild animals belong in the wild, I was thankful the little fellow would grow up in an American nature reserve and not have to endure the encroachment of development on his habitat and not be a target of poachers.
Born Free
Born free, as free as the wind blows
As free as the grass grows
Born free to follow your heart
Live free, and beauty surrounds you
The world still astounds you
Each time you look at a star
*Stay free, where no walls divide you
You're free as a roaring tide
So there's no need to hide
Born free, and life is worth living
But only worth living
Cause you're born free
Lyrics by Don Black,
Music by John Barry
I never knew this until now, but "In 1977, a reverse composition of the song's hook was used in the well-known theme to the movie Star Wars.[1] Composer John Williams has widely maintained that he used the Born Free title song as a "subliminal hook" to capture his audience."
Maybe it's not a coincidence that Star Wars is another of my all-time favorites!