Free Lion Called Christian by Anthony Bourke

taking coals to Newcastle."
    We investigated the whole question of Christian's flight very thoroughly, and telephoned several animal dealers and zoos for information about the best methods of safely transporting animals. Our research revealed that there was no agreement or even any particular interest in the transportation of exotic animals. We would like to believe that today animal transportation is a much more sensitive and sophisticated operation, but while great care is taken with some animals, most livestock are still transported around the world with little regard for their well-being. There is, for example, ongoing criticism of the conditions under which Australian sheep are shipped to the Middle East. Some of the people we spoke to suggested a small crate to make it impossible for the animal to turn around; the less room, the less scope the animal would have to move and injure himself. We spoke to Oliver Graham-Jones, who had been senior vet at the London Zoo, and was well known at the time for the publicized attempts at insemination of Chi-Chi the panda, who had to be transported from London to Moscow and back. He advised that Christian should be mildly tranquilized by adding a sedative to his food, and that this would safely minimize any frustration. Christian would probably sleep for most of the journey. We decided to order a crate large enough for him to sit upright and turn around in, with bars on one end and a sliding panel at the other. We specifically requested that there be no rough surfaces or sharp edges on which he could injure himself.
    When the crate was delivered, we put it in his compound for Christian to become familiar with it. He was fed in it, and we shut his caravan at night to encourage him to sleep in it. Each day we shut him in for short periods so that the actual journey would be less of a shock.
    East African Airways quoted a charge at the time of PS2 per pound for flying Christian to Kenya, so we had to weigh him. We borrowed some scales from the even more mystified butcher and tied them to a rope hanging from a tree. We put an empty sack under Christian's stomach, lifted him up, and slipped both ends of the sack onto the hook at the bottom of the scales. He dangled helplessly but good-naturedly. It had been an effort for Bill and us to lift him, and we were not surprised when we saw that he weighed 160 pounds. A veterinary certificate of health was also required, and Christian was examined by a vet and inoculated with Catovac to protect him from diseases he would have no immunity against in Africa.
    We had always wanted to see Christian's parents at Ilfracombe Zoo in Devon, and because of the long delay at Leith Hill, we now had the opportunity to visit them. The zoo was typical of the many small country zoos scattered around England at the time, most of which have since closed. Because Ilfracombe is a popular holiday resort, there were accommodation chalets attached to the zoo. There was a rather tacky fairground atmosphere, and depressingly small and basic cages for an assortment of chimpanzees, llamas, birds, and even a few scruffy kangaroos. The lions were the star attraction, and Christian's parents, Butch and Mary, were the most magnificent lions we had ever seen. Despite their restricted living conditions, they looked very healthy. Unlike lions in the wild, which rest between kills until hungry again, Butch and Mary were fed daily so that they did not roar at night and disturb the vacationers in the nearby chalets. Christian looked very like his handsome, heavily maned, three-year-old father. They were an affectionate couple, but they incessantly paced the cement floor of their small cage. The owner of the zoo was prepared to sell them for PS500, but we did not dare ask Bill if Butch and Mary could come to Kenya, too.
    We asked the owner about Christian's sisters, and he told us the name of the animal dealer to whom he had sold them. We contacted this dealer, but as he had sold