Special Sub-Topic: The Life Of Christian The Lion Click Here To Play: The Life Of Christian The Lion

Christian's friends, Ace Bourke and John Rendall, saw Christian for the first time at a department store when he was a few weeks old. What was the name of the store?

Harrods. When Christian was a few weeks old he was put up for sale at Harrods. When Ace and John saw him, they felt so bad that he was in a tiny cage at Christmas time. They immediately raised the money and bought Christian.

What zoo was Christian born at?

Ilfracombe Zoo. Christian was born at the Ilfracombe Zoo. His father was The Big One, Elsa's sister's grandson. Back then pedigree papers were given to wild animals born in zoos. When Christian was bought by Ace and John, they received his papers.

After being bought by Ace and John, where did Christian spend his cub days?

Sophistocat. When Ace and John got a job at Sophistocat, a furniture shop, in Chelsea, Christian spent his days in the window and roaming around the shop. When he started to grow, Ace and John had to put him in the basement storeroom. Christian was able to peer, but not jump.

What year was Christian born?

1969. Christian was born in 1969 at Ilfracombe Zoo.

Christian used to play a game with Ace and John, what kind of game did they play?

Football. As Christian grew, the customers at the Sophistocat were apprehensive at the thought of an adolescent lion roaming the store. The Moravian Church in Chelsea came to the rescue and let Ace, John, and Christian play football in the church's graveyard.

In what year was Christian taken to Africa for rehabilitation into the wild?

1970. Christian was taken to Africa in 1970. At that time, he weighed 170 pounds, was tall at the shoulders and was growing a mane. To mark Christian's first day on African soil, Ace and John removed his collar.

What were the two names of the lions who befriended Christian when he first went to live at the Kora Reserve?

Boy and Katania. Christian's lion friends were Boy and Katania. Boy co-starred in the movie "Born Free," he was eight years old when he was taken to Kora. Katania was three months old when she was taken to Kora. When Boy saw Christian for the first time, Boy was behind a chain link fence. Boy disapproved of Christian and Katania becoming friends. One day, Ace and John brought Christian to the top of Kora Rock and George Adamson brought Boy and Katania to the same rock. When Katania went over to her friend Christian, he pushed her away. When Boy saw this he charged at Christian. Christian immediately rolled over on his back as Boy gave him tremendous blows from his gigantic pads. Luckily for Christian, Boy kept his claws in. From that day forward, until Boy's death, the three were inseperable.

Before Christian went to Africa he swam in the English Channel.

t. During the time when Ace, John, and Christian lived with Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, they went on numerous picnics. One such picnic was to the English Channel. At first Christian refused to go in, but when he saw Ace and John enjoying themselves in the Channel he couldn't resist going in with them.

A few days after he arrived at Kora, Christian became sick. What was the cause of his sickness?

Babesia. A few days after he arrived at Kora, George Adamson noticed Christian wasn't himself so he took Christian's temperature and called in the Flying Doctor. It turned out that Christian had Babesia, a tick born fever. The vet gave him a vaccine for it and a few days later Christian was his old self again. Babesia is the disease that killed Elsa.

Christian lived at Kora for a few years, but eventually he left the only territory he ever knew. What year did he leave?

1973. After Boy's death in 1971, Christian became the pride's only male. He left when he realized that his two lionesses liked a mangy looking lion better. For a while Christian made his new territory along the Tana river, but when the Wakamba herdsmen kept bringing their livestock to his hunting ground, Christian left. George Adamson said in his autobiography, "I used to count the days on which we had not seen him, but in the end when they reached ninety seven, I gave up recording them in my diary." Because a lion can live from twelve to fifteen years in the wild, George Adamson believed that Christian made it to the Meru National Reserve (only a few miles from Kora). George Adamson also fought extra hard to stay at Kora because to him Kora was Christian's Pyramid. It was never known when or how Christian died, after all he was a wild lion. All information contained in this quiz can be found in "My Pride and Joy" by George Adamson.