Bradt - Christian The Lion

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Discover the incredible true story of Christian, a lion cub sold at Harrods in 1969 to two young Australians, John Rendall and Anthony (Ace) Bourke. Their unique bond with Christian and his journey from London to the wilds of Kenya has captivated millions worldwide.

A remarkable tale of friendship, rehabilitation, and the wild.

Christian’s adventure began as a three-month-old cub purchased from Harrods department store in London by John and Ace. For a year, Christian thrived living alongside his human companions, first in Chelsea’s King's Road, where photographer Derek Cattani captured some of the earliest images of their unusual friendship.

As Christian grew too large for city life, he was handed over to George Adamson in Kenya. George, along with his wife Joy-famous for rehabilitating Elsa, the lioness from the book Born Free-worked to reintroduce Christian to the wild. A year later, John and Ace made an emotional return to Kenya to reunite with Christian, a moment that has since touched over 100 million viewers on YouTube.

Christian eventually vanished into the wild in 1973, marking the success of George Adamson’s rare accomplishment: rehabilitating a fifth-generation zoo-bred lion. John and Ace’s original book about Christian became a bestseller in the 1970s and saw renewed interest after their reunion video went viral in 2006.

This updated edition from Bradt features never-before-seen photographs by Derek Cattani and brings the story up to date, including the YouTube phenomenon and a chapter on the tragic murder of George Adamson. When Christian was taken to Kenya in 1970, Africa was home to an estimated 300,000 lions. Today, that number has dwindled to fewer than 25,000.

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