Lion Called Christian (16 page)

I felt strangely happy. I think if it were not for George Adamson and for people such as yourselves, Christian would have ended up in very different circumstances....

All the best,

Yours,

Bill

A
fter Boy and Christian's first dramatic encounters and prolonged standoff, they finally became inseparable, particularly after the death of Katania.

In his 1985 autobiography
My Pride and Joy
, George described the early days at Kora with Boy and Christian as "some of the most enjoyable of my life." The wild lions, however, resented the intrusion into their territory by Boy, Christian, and the two lionesses, Monalisa and Juma, that had arrived from Maralal in northeastern Kenya. As the only mature lion and head of the pride, Boy had frequent confrontations with these wild lions. One day Boy returned to camp with deep wounds on his back, and George treated them in the safety of the compound. The wild lions waited expectantly outside, and unable to get at Boy, they attacked and killed Monalisa.

Boy seemed to be in great pain from this latest injury and now wandered off more frequently on his own, leaving Juma and Christian, who had become good friends, unprotected. George was becoming increasingly concerned about Boy's well-being.

George was then given two eighteen-month-old lionesses from the Nairobi Park Orphanage, which he named Mona and Lisa (in memory of Monalisa), and a boisterous young male called Supercub. George's plans to create a self-sufficient pride were progressing, with Christian an integral part of the pride.

But George's plans and Christian's rehabilitation suffered a tragic setback. On June 6, 1971. Boy had been away for a few days, and the other lions were on Kora Rock behind the camp. George realized Boy had returned when he heard him drinking from the water trough outside the camp compound. Suddenly George heard cries from the same direction, and, grabbing his gun, ran out to see Boy with his assistant, Stanley, in his jaws. George shouted at Boy, who dropped Stanley. George shot Boy dead. He then rushed to Stanley's assistance, but he died almost immediately.

George was devastated. Stanley had been instructed not to go outside the compound, but he had ignored this advice and now he had lost his life. George also mourned one of his favorite lions, whose life had been intertwined with his own since Boy was a cub. The "accident," as it came tobe called, made international news and was fully investigated by the local police and the Game Department. George's work was criticized for endangering lives, and the whole project was temporarily at risk. However, George had many supporters, including government ministers who appreciated the value of the Adamson name to Kenyan tourism, and he was allowed to remain at Kora.

We had been living in London writing
A Lion Called Christian
, which was due for publication in November 1971. We had intended to fly to Kenya and visit Christian with a film crew, as they had nearly completed the second documentary,
Christian the Lion
, and wanted to include Christian's reunion with us nearly one year later. With George's shocking news, we delayed the visit a few weeks.

When we arrived in Nairobi, we were told by various people that there were rumors that Boy had always been the least predictable of the Adamson lions, and that Stanley had been disrespectful and careless around Boy on several occasions.

We flew from Wilson Airport in Nairobi, and when we landed on the earth strip Terence Adamson had cleared a few miles from the camp at Kora, George was waiting to meet us. He was looking well, considering the tragedy, and we hoped our visit was to be a diversion for him. We tried not to bombard him with questions about Christian as we drove back to Kampi ya Simba. Although George had not seen the lions for a while, they had just appeared that morning and were now resting from the heat in the shade. We anxiously waited in the now much more comfortable and permanent camp. We could only guess at the reception we would get from Christian, but we felt deep inside that it could only be a loving one, and that he could not have forgotten us.

Ace described the reunion in a letter written to his parents at the time:

The lions were "lying up" about half a mile away, and we had to impatiently wait several hours until it was less hot and the lions would be likely to move. Finally, with the film crew, we walked in the direction of the lions, and waited at the base of Kora Rock while George went over the top to call Christian. Shortly afterwards Christian appeared at the top--about 75 yards away from us. He stared hard at us for a few seconds, and then slowly moved closer for a good look. He stared intently. He looked marvellous, and up on the rocks, he didn't appear much bigger. We couldn't wait any longer and called him. He immediately started to run down towards us. Grunting with excitement, this ENORMOUS lion jumped all over us, but he was very gentle. So on we had 3 lionesses milling around us--about Christian's age but not nearly as big. And Supercub, a delightful 5 month old male. Quite unforgettable of course. Christian showed his affection in exactly the same way, had all his old tricks & some new ones. George is just captivated by him--as everyone is. He is the best natured lion George has seen--with humans and lions. He is in superb condition--much sleeker, and because of the heat his mane hasn't grown much. His spots have finally faded more. His front teeth are a frightening 1 1/2, inches of white ivory! It was difficult to adjust to his size--he was about 160 lbs 10 months ago, now George thinks he is about 300 lbs. We gave him enormous respect, and were a little less frivolous with him--a much more mature lion, but still most entertaining. Undoubtedly head of the pride--he rather enjoyed playing out the role for us. George is delighted with their progress-- they have become a "tight unit," and apparently they could begin to kill quite soon, which sounds bloody, but will be essential for their survival.

Nairobi 20/7/71

Reading these words again so many years later, it brings back the excitement of that day. Christian looking so marvelous and big, and despite his enthusiasm so gentle with us, and the other lions milling around us. We had no fear of Christian-- and he had run toward us with a loving expression we knew so well. We had never met the other lions before, but the atmosphere was so joyous that Mona, Lisa, Juma, and Supercub also greeted us warmly.

We were woken by Christian's roars each morning, and they were impressive for a three-year-old. We spent the next few days enjoying George's normal camp routine, walking with the lions in the morning, sometimes sitting with Christian in the shade while they dozed, or setting out with George in the late afternoon to find them. Now, a few weeks after the death of Boy, Christian was relishing his position as head of the pride. We let Christian totally dictate our relationship with him. If he wanted to play we played, and if he wanted to be affectionate we reciprocated. At other times we were superfluous to his life or a distraction and we just left him alone.

It was fun and challenging getting to know the other lions, who were virtually wild and had all arrived at Kora very wary of humans. Looking back now at this lion-human interaction, we wonder if George possibly had too much confidence in all of us. One day Christian was leading us on a walk when he suddenly charged off into the bush with a huge growl, chasing after Mona and Lisa. They had been crouched waiting in ambush for us, probably for fun, but this could have been a very dangerous encounter if we had reacted with fear or been knocked over. We were very touched by Christian's protective attitude. Lisa was a very playful lioness, Super-cub had a very extroverted personality, but Juma and Mona were both very shy. In a letter to Sir William Collins, George wrote that, ironically, Christian, the lion from London that had the most contact with humans, was the easiest lion to rehabilitate at Kora so far.

Kampi ya Simba had much improved in the last year. George's brother Terence had built a number of permanent huts with palm-leaf roofs and walls, ingeniously made from chicken wire covered with burlap and then painted with numerous coats of cement. The largest of these simple but effective buildings was the mess hut, which was the hub of the camp and where George kept the radio telephone, his only link with the outside world. He also had an ancient typewriter and a jumble of books, letters, diaries, and photographs. There was now a generator to power the deep freezers, which were mostly stacked with camel meat for the lions, purchased from the nearest village, Asako, forty miles away. George's cook, Hamisi, cooked for us on an open fire in his own lion-proof compound.

There was now a menagerie surrounding the camp, including noisy guinea fowl, ravens, friendly hornbills, monitor lizards, the occasional unwelcome snakes and scorpions, and the ever-waiting vultures that Christian was always chasing away from his old bones.

While it was a unique experience to visit Kampi ya Simba, we only planned to stay a few days because the less contact the lions had with humans the better. Visitors to the camp were often disappointed when George would not allow them to approach his lions, so we were very privileged. The lions had to be self-sufficient and were encouraged to be wary of humans.

We had been welcomed by Christian in the most wonderful, loving, unforgettable way. That day was a euphoric experience for all of us, lions and people. Now, via YouTube nearly forty years later, that experience has been shared by millions of people all over the world.

We were obviously sad to leave Christian, but he seemed so contented and everything was going well at the moment. The wild lions had been quiet for a while, and there was a calmness at Kora. When we left and our small plane circled the camp, Christian and the other lions looked up from Kora Rock, and as one of us waved back to George in the compound, the other shed a few quiet tears. In this unpredictable and often hostile environment, would Christian's good fortune continue?

I
n London we were kept informed of any news, and in January 1972 we received two letters from Kora. George wrote:

I have been very lucky in finding a young man to help me. Tony Fitzjohn, aged about 27. A bit of a wanderer who has tried his hand at many occupations. Very fit and capable.

A letter also came to us from Tony, who had originally written to Joy Adamson asking for a job, but she had suggested he work for George. She felt he needed an enthusiastic and multiskilled young helper.

Dear Ace and John,

Although we've never met I thought I'd put a few lines down.

I've been helping George for some time and have become as fond of Christian as you must have been. It is amazing to see how he's adapted himself to the wild here yet remains as completely attached to George as ever.

It was excellent news that George had more support, and we planned to visit again later in the year.

But further letters informed us that life was quite difficult for Christian and the other lions. Without Boy, Christian on his own had not been able to defend the territory around the camp, and a wild lion known as "The Killer" had killed the engaging Supercub.

Christian had survived his fights with wild lions so far, and George noted that his wounds were always on his forelegs and shoulders which demonstrated that he had been fighting courageously.

In another letter George wrote:

Christian had had a fight with a wild lion and had two nasty gashes in his right foreleg. But he did not seem the least perturbed about his encounter and it was with much difficulty that I persuaded him to follow me back to camp, where I could attend to his injuries.

Christian was proving to be an exceptional and brave young lion in this hostile environment, but growing frustrations became evident that could have had catastrophic consequences. One day he ambushed and knocked George over, held him with his paws, and had his head in his jaws. Christian released him quickly and George chased after him with a stick. Luckily, George was not badly hurt, although a claw had punctured his arm. Christian knew he had "broken the rules," but soon after he also knocked Tony down several times, cuffed him with his paws, and with his head in his jaws dragged him by the head. Tony punched Christian hard on the nose, and was immediately released, and amazingly was not badly injured either.