10/08/2026
This World Lion Day, we’re heading back to 1969 London, when John Rendall and Anthony Bourke bought a lion cub from Harrods department store. A lion cub named Christian.
Christian was raised in London, taking drives around the city, exercising in a nearby cemetery at night, and even becoming a bit of a celebrity. But as he grew, John and Anthony realised something profound- no matter how much they loved him, a lion belongs in the wild. In 1970, with the help of legendary conservationist, George Adamson, Christian was successfully rehabilitated in Kenya- and he even started his own pride.
A year later, John and Anthony returned, unsure if Christian would remember them.
He did.
They returned once more the following year and spent one final night with Christian. By morning, after one last goodbye, he disappeared back into the wild- where he belonged. It was the last time they ever saw him. Their reunion remains one of the most powerful reminders of the intelligence, memory, and emotional depth of wild animals.
Christian’s story is also a reminder of how much, and how little, has changed. In the years after his rescue, laws like CITES and the UK’s Dangerous Wild Animals Act brought much stricter protections for wildlife. Yet today, the illegal wildlife trade remains one of the world’s largest criminal industries, with millions of wild animals still taken from nature or bred for the exotic pet trade each year. The greatest act of love isn’t keeping wildlife close- it’s protecting their freedom.
You can watch the full documentary, “The Lion Cub from Harrods”, free on YouTube. 🦁
Christian got the chance to return home. Now it’s our responsibility to protect the wild places and the wild lions that he left behind.
📸 Derek Cattani
