Christian: The Lion that Captured Our Hearts Quiz

Answer: Ilfracombe Zoo

After their birth, the management and staff of Ilfracombe Zoo took the two lion cubs away from their parents much too soon and sold them to Harrods to put in their exotic animal department. Neither of the cubs was given the opportunity to learn any instincts or survival skills of the feline kingdom.

They were barely weaned. Christian's father was from Rotterdam Zoo and his mother from Jerusalem, both living in captivity at Ilfracombe Zoo at the time of the cubs arrival.

Answer: England

In 1969, London, England was a wild, hip-swinging location of art, dance, fashion, music, publishing and celebrities. After listening to a friend speak about being able to obtain all sorts of animals, two college friends visited the world renowned Harrods exotic animal department where it had been said that every kind of animal could be found. On the other hand, if what you wanted could not be found in the department, they could get it for you. Australians, John Rendall and his friend Anthony "Ace" Bourke (surname changed to Berg) spotted and fell in love instantly with a small lion cub on display in a cage.

Neither of the young men could resist the temptation of the purchase, so they put their money together, passed the test given by Harrods on pet requirements, and rescued the three-month old, thirty-five pound feline for 250 guineas. Little did they know that this would be the beginning of a rare and beautiful relationship.

Answer: Basement

Rendall and Berg both worked at a customized furniture store called Sophistocat on King's Road located in Chelsea, the center of London. They rented an upstairs flat above the business and persuaded the owners to let Christian stay there also. When Christian wasn't entertaining them in the flat, he had his own cozy and private space below in the basement, after all, the pampered pet could cause quite a bit of damage to household items. Rendall once stated that he could rip a stuffed bear in two seconds flat. Unused furniture and other items that needed refurbishing was placed where he could hide, jump, and play. He also had an assortment of toys, his very own bed mattress and pillow, and a very large kitty litter pan! It wasn't long until he began accompanying his best buddies to events and Casserole, a local restaurant. He was king of the backseat riding in their Bentley.

Two female friends, Jennifer Mary Taylor and Unity Jones, also lent a hand in the care of Christian. He especially loved when the maid come to clean with all her feather dusters, brooms, mops, and vacuum. They too developed an unlikely relationship. Unfortunately, Christian would soon outgrow his basement empire.

Answer: The Bible

Rendell and Berg knew that they had an extra-ordinary animal. He was loving and gentle to humans as well as to other animals. A photographer who had become fascinated by the celebrity cub once took a picture of Christian with several small chicks in which he never attempted to harm.

As hard as it was to rear a lion in an urban area of London, the men were determined to give Christian the finest life they could for as long as he was with them, and in agreement, both committed themselves faithfully to him. Doing good to others was the reasoning behind the given name Christian, therefore, the name seemed proper to John and Ace.

He never had to be restrained, nor was any physical force of any kind used. There was never any need for such. Being the intelligent animal that he was, he knew exactly by the tone of their voice what was allowed and what wasn't.

Answer: Cemetery

Christian had become a celebrity in his own right in London. Many people desired to have a part in the raising of the fearsome looking, but friendly lion. Realizing how expensive his meals were, Londoners began purchasing meat and giving it to the owners to feed Christian.

He would consume two liquid and two solid meals per day, plus daily supplements. However, food was not the only necessity for a growing lion. Exercise and play was imperative. After much deliberation as to where Christian could run and play, they contacted the vicar of the Moravian Chapel. Apprehensive at first, he gave them the permission to let them use a nearby cemetery. Soccer was by far his favorite sport!

Answer: Born Free

The married couple walked into the furniture store to purchase a writing desk when they met Christian for the first time. At this time he had already grown to be 185 pounds and his mane was beginning to form. From experience, the two knew that there would come a time when the young men would have no alternative but to make a choice as to what they would do with their beloved pet.

They offered their assistance and told them that they knew just the right man for the job when it was time for the decision to be made, after all, how long can you keep a full grown lion in the city of London? Travers and McKenna had filmed a movie as the starring roles of "Born Free" (1966), which was based on a true story of a lioness named Elsa.

Answer: George Adamson

The two actors had highly recommended George Adamson, also called the "Lion Man" to John and Ace. He had worked with numerous lions, raising and releasing them at his compound at the Kora National Reserve. George had been known to be very successful with reintroducing lions back into their natural habitat; however, Christian would be different.

The lions that Adamson was used to working with were African lions. Christian would be coming to him from the city of London. The lion would have no clue as to the dangers that may lay ahead for him, or for that matter, had not even seen a full grown lion since his own father. This is where the expertise and challenge would come in for Adamson. When Christian turned one-year old and nearly two-hundred pounds, it was obvious he would need a much larger facility that John and Ace were able to provide. Both selflessly made the decision to not betray their beloved lion his freedom.

After waiting nearly three months for the African government to grant the permission to their request for transport, John, Ace, and Christian were finally on their way to Nairobi. After a grueling fifteen hours later, not knowing that Christian would even survive the trip, they were loaded up into Adamson's Land Rover and traveled another two-hundred and twenty miles north-east to the reserve located in Kenya near the Tana River. This was to become Christian's new home, sadly, without his adopted family.

Answer: Boy

When Travers contacted George, he explained that making a documentary film could help fund the project. All agreed with his idea and the camera's began shooting Christian and his behavior to the new, but rugged surroundings. Boy, who was featured in "Born Free", was put into a fenced-in protective barrier for the first few days while Christian would hide behind John or Ace.

The day came when they had to take the chance to observe how the two lions would behave face to face. Naturally, the country male clobbered the city male, but soon Christian's lion instincts kicked in and he rolled over on his back in submission. In the wild, this is how the dominant male dictates his authority over all younger males. Surprisingly, the two became inseparable. Four weeks later when John and Ace realized Christian was in good hands and in a safe region, they sorrowfully returned to London. George had added a lioness named Katania in hopes the trio would develop a pride. Then tragedy struck. According to the documentary, George feared that the lioness had been devoured at a watering hole by ferocious crocodiles and Boy had been brutally injured.

Boy's tame attitude completely changed for the worse and he lost his ability to socialize with other lions and humans as well. On June 6, 1971, Adamson's chef, Stanley, was heard screaming. When George looked out, Boy had Stanley's head in the grips of his jaws and there wasn't any choice but to shoot the lion through his heart. Because Stanley had been bitten in the jugular vein, he died from the attack. This left Christian as the sole survivor of the original pride, taking up where Boy had left off.

Captured by photographs, Christian would lay beside the grave of Boy for weeks as if he knew he had lost his best friend. However, happier days were in store for Christian.

Answer: They may not be recognized.

When the two men returned to Africa, Adamson told the men that he had not seen Christian in a little over three months, but gladly informed them that he and his lionesses had shown up at his camp just the night before.

It was as if Christian was telepathic and knew he was about to receive visitors. It was questionable whether the lion would recognize his former London family, but on the contrary his bond with John and Ace seemed to be strong as ever.

Fortunately, this gathering was captured on film and entitled, "Christian, The Lion at World's End". Rendell had remembered that Christian, according to George, was sitting on his favorite rock waiting for them. When the apprehensive meeting began, Christian intensely stared at them. He then began to warily move towards them until they both called out his name. He picked up his stance, convinced he knew who they were and began running to them. He threw himself onto them, knocking them over with hugs and snuggles. His paws were thrown around their shoulders just as he had done when he was a young cub. Rendell later stated that there was not a dry eye during the bittersweet moment. Everyone was crying.

After seeing Christian's acceptance to the two men, his lionesses, Mona and Lisa, with Supercub the lion, welcomed them as well. Later the lionesses began to sputter and snarl and George advised that it was time to leave. Each man affectionately patted their beloved pet on his back as if to say their final farewell, but to their amazement he followed them back to camp. Christian stayed with them all night. Early the next morning he returned to his pride, and as if exhausted from hanging out with the boys all night, collapsed near a tree and fell asleep.

In 1974, George informed John and Ace that Christian had been defending his pride and had well adapted to the rough environment. Rendell and Ace returned to Kenya one last time, but they were only able to view Christian from afar. John stated that he was twice as large as he had been on the previous film. Christian was never seen again.

Sadly, George Adamson ignored the warnings by the government to leave the reserve and was murdered by bandits in 1989, holding his gun in his hand. His request was honored when they buried him in Kora National Reserve. Thanks to the technology of the internet, his work or Christian would never be forgotten.

Answer: Lisa Williams

Little did Lisa realize what an impact her video project would have on people all over the globe. She originally posted it in September 2006, gaining an audience of over twelve million people. It started circulating in July 2008. Since Lisa placed it on, two other versions have been viewed as well on YouTube which has drawn another six million viewers and rising every day. Lisa's video was silent but in color. Other versions have been embellished with music to make it even more touching and emotional.

The story of Christian the lion has been made into a film and a book, along with the original documentary. Virginia McKenna wrote her memoirs and experience about Christian in her book titled "The Life in My Years" (March 2009). The men were absolutely astonished to hear about the popularity of their former pet but were well pleased. At the beginning, neither John nor Ace knew who the person was that was responsible for the idea, but thanks to various news sources, the two were tracked down and were able to meet Lisa Williams in person to thank her face to face. Their meeting was filmed on the documentary "A Lion Called Christian". Lisa told the men that she hoped it would show people the meaning of love between humans and animals, and John and Ace's wish that it will make people more aware of wildlife conservation and protection of their environment.

Supporters organized the George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust following his tragic death, with John Rendall as a trustee. Its primary goal is to preserve African wildlife at the Kora National Reserve in Kenya, Africa, as well as in Tanzania. According to Rendall, the organization, "is part of Christian's legacy".