A Lion Called King

From a dog crate to a Born Free sanctuary in Africa, Dr Chris Draper follows a cub’s journey.

- Diane Priestley

King the lion cub was rescued from a filthy dog crate in a Paris apartment, a victim of the illegal pet trade. Born Free first got wind of his plight after he’d been taken to a refuge in Belgium and we decided to relocate him to his African homeland.

When I first saw King in Belgium, he was traumatised and terrified of humans. Just a few months old and shaking with fright, he bolted up a branch and refused to come down. A few weeks later it was a different story. After care from expert staff, he trusted that we wouldn’t hurt him. He became less fearful and much more alert, interested and playful.

The epic journey to our big cat rescue sanctuary at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa was a profoundly emotional experience, a highlight of my 18 years working with many species of animals.

It was the first time I’d moved such a vulnerable animal over this distance. I had the comfort of knowing King was going to an idyllic habitat, but the poor little chap didn’t know what was happening! We tried to make the transport as comfortable as possible, but it’s never going to be a natural experience for a big cat to travel in a truck and fly in a plane!