Christian was a lion originally purchased by Australians John Rendall and Anthony "Ace" Bourke from Harrods department store of London in 1969 and ultimately reintroduced to the African wild by conservationist George Adamson. One year after George Adamson released Christian to the wild, his former owners decided to go looking for him to see whether Christian would remember them. Surprisingly, he did, and with him were two lionesses who accepted the men as well. [Wikipedia entry]It is still mind-boggling to me that people could actually buy a lion cub at Harrods of all places. The scourge of current day pet stores seems mild compared to the department store of the 60s.
Christmas shopping list:
1. Blue-eyed doll for Sara, check.
2. Football for John, check.
3. Tool kit for Adam, check.
4. Baking set for Mary, check.
5. One bonnie lion cub for Noah, check.
More about Harrods' contemporary contribution to the human-animal bond can be found here. I am not sure which is worse: the past or the present.
