One of the first photographs of Christian by Derek Cattani

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTIAN – TODAY 12th August!

ABC: With the world so unsettled I was unsure what to write about this year, and unfortunately, I had many of the same concerns last year. Recently I received an email from our national broadcaster the ABC. In 2009, soon after our reunion with Christian had become a hit on YouTube, we were interviewed on radio by Richard Fidler on the ABC’s Conversations program. It was an hour long and Richard was so well informed and responsive I think it was our best interview. I have remained addicted to him and co-host Sarah Kanowski ever since.

The program Conversations is now 20 years old and to celebrate they are repeating their interviews with their “absolute favourite guests”. It is an honour, and a testament to Christian’s appeal, that with so many wonderful and fascinating ones to choose from, our interview was chosen. It was aired on the 6th August but is available as a podcast, like Apple podcasts, and search “20th Anniversary Collection: A lion named Christian, and the men who loved him”.

Also http://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations

I listened to the interview and the three of us sounded pleasantly animated. Richard was amused and interested in the story, and it didn’t appear too dated.

The interview has made me think of what happened subsequently, although I have written about much of it. I quickly became much better informed about animal rights and issues and more actively involved. This has included protests over canned trophy hunting, to being involved with several animal shelters in Australia and India and speaking at several conferences. All his life John Rendall remained involved with the George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust (GAWPT).

In the shop Sophistocat

There were other memorable interviews. The worst was the first. It was on the roof of the Hyatt Hotel at Circular Quay standing on a box to get the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the shot behind us, in a winter gale. It was quite late at night in Australia as it was timed for the American television program Good Morning America. John had had a few drinks as we waited for the interview, but as it turned out in the future, I could always rely on John to talk no matter how late he went to bed. Also, he had been involved with GAWPT in the intervening years and returned quite often to Africa, and unlike me, was up to date about the discussions and debates in the animal and conservation worlds. I had been immersed in my art career in Australia, and had begun travelling more frequently to India, which included exhibitions of Aboriginal art for the government.

In an advertisement break I heard the American hosts saying to each other “some people think the lion footage of the reunion with the lion is faked”. I was furious, freezing, and I had very little to say. After this I said to John. “That was terrible and a wasted opportunity. I have to educate myself immediately, and we should decide on some key points about animal welfare and issues that we think are important to discuss, and be concise about it”.

We always of course talked about Christian, and George Adamson and the work of GAWPT, and the environmental and wildlife crises the world faced. This included climate change, and the many animals facing an extinction vortex. We were also critical of zoos and the trafficking in wild animals or their body parts.

This photograph won an award for Derek Cattani.

Another memorable interview was on the Oprah Winfrey show in Chicago a year or two later, although it was Ellen DeGeneres who had first shown our reunion with Christian in Kenya footage. By then we had revised our original 1971 book A Lion Called Christian. It was Oprah’s Friday panel show with 3 others. The guest before us was Facebook/META’s Mark Zuckerberg. For months Oprah’s assistants had been emailing us the questions we were to be asked and in what order.

On an advertisement break we were rushed onto the set along a corridor lined with monitors previewing Christian, and many of the staff sitting and watching and clapping. For some reason I found this intensely moving. I was ushered into a chair beside Oprah. I couldn’t believe I was sitting beside this icon. Her skin was glowing and her makeup stunning. It was painted on. We had also been sprayed earlier in a very flattering light gold.

Oprah went immediately off script and turned to ask me why so many millions of people loved our reunion with Christian. Forgetting our rule about brevity, I went on a lengthy rave about all the reasons why: it was a unique human-animal connection; he was gorgeous and charismatic; some people thought we would be eaten; the world was depressed by the Global Financial Crisis and needed cheering up etc etc. While I think the interview went quite well I have never watched it. I found it very nerve-racking.

In New York we went on Good Morning America. While waiting John had a cigarette and chatted with Martha Stewart. We also went on The View. We met Whoopi Goldberg having a smoke beforehand in the parking lot. She showed us a photograph of Christian on her iPhone for whenever she needed cheering up.

The host who looked after us the best was Wang Lifen in China. She was regarded as China’s “Oprah Winfrey”. She cleverly went on air in a wig so was not widely recognised on the streets. She was a “Young World Leader” and had visited Australia several times. She flew John and me to China and really looked after us for several days. She was the only one that took us out to dinner, and made her driver available for a trip to the Great Wall of China, and around Beijing to the Forbidden City, and the then quite new large art precincts. It has been my one and only trip to China and I found it fascinating.

She had a studio audience which she managed very well and spoke in Mandarin, English, and French when we crossed to Switzerland for a related interview. She was very impressive and I have googled her since and she is described as a “businesswoman and entrepreneur” – no doubt a very successful one.

The Kings Road, Chelsea

So much has happened since the ABC interview. Most importantly and sadly John died from complications from Covid in 2022. Then George Adamson’s assistant Tony Fitzjohn also died. He had set up the George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust (GAWPT) which John had actively supported. Tony’s widow Lucy and  their son are continuing the work and are rebuilding Christian’s camp at Kora. They are also building infrastructure necessary for tourism and the protection and rehabilitation of the ecosystem and habitats, and working with local communities. GAWPT has become The George Adamson and Tony Fitzjohn Wildlife Trust. See koraproject.org

KORA: I have been discussing with Lucy Fitzjohn the origins of Kora for inclusion on their excellent website, and for the planned historical education centre. It is my understanding that George Adamson, after being contacted by Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna of Born Free fame about Christian, was particularly interested in seeing how a 5th generation European born lion would fare back in Africa. George would build a pride of lions around him. A documentary of this “experiment” would be made and the film company was to pay 750 English pounds a year for the “exclusive use” of a suitable area. There was a long delay while George checked remote locations and Kenyan politicians decided if this was a good idea. Ultimately, they thought it would be good for tourism.

Coincidentally, Boy a seven-year-old lion used in the filming of Born Free and one of the few to be rehabilitated, had been found injured in October 1969, just before we bought Christian. He was being nursed back into health by Joy and George Adamson at Naivasha for 9 months and was now ready to be returned to the wild. He would make a suitable head of the proposed pride, if he would accept Christian.

To many of us Kampi ya Simba at Kora is a sacred site for Christian and the establishment of the Kora National Park (gazetted in 1973) is one of his enduring legacies. Although the vegetation is rather inhospitable (which is why it was chosen), it is beautiful in its own way, especially down by the nearby Tana River. George viewed Kora as a monument to “the cheerful, mischievous, and courageous” young lion from London.

Last year in June Christian’s photographer Derek Cattani died. He sensitively and quietly built up a very good relationship with Christian and his wonderful archive of photographs has really contributed to the ongoing interest in Christian’s story.

When I look on YouTube now, there are many stories of “owners” of big cats especially, or “wild” animals, reuniting with each other. I think Christian was lucky to get in on the early days of YouTube and social media, and as years of his amazing life were so well documented and illustrated, our story keeps featuring prominently. All the lion photographs on this blog are by Derek Cattani. See www.derekcattani.com

John and Derek actively supported the lion cause with talks and fund raisers for GAWPT, while Derek was a Trustee and then a Director of LionAid.

It was the documentaries by Bill Travers and the film company about returning Christian to Kenya from London that have also been a major contribution to the story still being of interest. Bill Travers’ wife, now Dame Virginia McKenna, still actively supports the Born Free Foundation run by their son Will. I remember a photograph of him as a very young child looking in to Christian’s enclosure in their garden in Dorking. Christian has an intent look which always worried us about him with children. Our 3 indulgent friends and owners of Sophistocat on the Kings Road, Jennifer Mary Taylor, John Barnardiston and Joe Harding are all still going strong.

Our editor Adrian House also died. His book The Great Safari: The Lives of George and Joy Adamson would make an excellent film. Both George and Joy were larger than life, but in very different ways.

A film about Christian remains in limbo with SONY who own the rights but seem to have no intention of making it.

It was when Whitney Houston’s song I Will Always Love You was added to our reunion footage with Christian that it became an internet sensation with over 100 million hits, after which we stopped counting. We remained very grateful to Whitney. When she sadly died in 2012 much of her work disappeared off YouTube, including our reunion. That is why we have kept a record of her version here.

John, Christian and Ace at Dorking, UK

WFA: I became involved with Working for Animals with the legendary Christine Townend. She started Animal Liberation in Australia, then Animals Australia with Peter Singer. After running an animal shelter Help in Suffering in Jaipur for 17 years, she and her husband Jeremy set up two animal shelters in Darjeeling (DAS) and Kalimpong (KAS). Both shelters are very successful and you can follow them on www.workingforanimals.org.au and they are active on Instagram and Facebook.

I have had a long affair with India and taken two exhibitions of Aboriginal art there for the government and collected and exhibited Indian tribal art. I have had memorable animal experiences, especially seeing tigers in Ranthambore, and the Asian lions in Gir, but I also have spoken at major conferences in Jaipur and Delhi. I was the light relief!

WLPA: I am presently the Patron of the World League for Protection of Animals Inc, based in Sydney. www.wlpa.org. I adopted Harry the tuxedo cat from them, the most charismatic cat I have ever met. I blogged about him last year. Unfortunately, he was an unpredictable biter, perhaps hurt by earlier experiences, and he was more dangerous than Christian ever was to live with. Sadly I had to return him and he remains at the shelter with the imperious presence of an alpha male (or top dog!) I have since adopted two gorgeous and loving black kittens who are bonded twin sisters and growing fast.

Christian at Dorking

In the intervening years we have come under some criticism. When the debate about canned trophy hunting in Africa was a big issue before COVID, we were criticized for buying Christian and setting a bad example, encouraging the trading of wild animals. I think this is a legitimate point to make, and it was all part of our education. There are more tigers – often badly inbred – in American private hands than are left in the wild. The documentaries on Joe Exotic became an international hit which illustrated the sad reality for most animals in captivity and some of the characters involved.

Once I was invited to speak at a conference in Melbourne by people that were campaigning against canned trophy hunting. I checked the website to see the details and was horrified to read that people were invited to hear the “notorious story of Christian the lion”. I cancelled. I did not want to be portrayed as a “sinner that had seen the light”.

Canned hunting advocates were citing Christian’s rehabilitation as an example of why hunted wild lions could simply be replaced by zoo bred lions. This is of course spurious, as is the assertion that income generated by hunting funds conservation.

I am quite open to having most of these discussions or debates but, overall, I think Christian’s story is about the animal/human connection and love, and that animals and our environment have to be protected, and that he has been a great ambassador for this.

I think more people, especially younger ones, acknowledge the science about climate change, but the fossil fuel industry remains a formidable opponent. The climate wars go on, holding investment in renewable energy projects back. Time is running out. We have all witnessed the weather getting more extreme, more often, from flooding to fires with a disastrous effect on lives and habitats.

We have seen projects and information about “rewilding” emerge, and huge corridors and related tracts of land for conservancies set aside for animals which I think is an excellent idea. In India they have been trying to “re – construct” the traditional corridors for elephants that have been interrupted and obstructed by roads and railways, resulting in many deaths. One corridor now even goes through a hotel foyer! More recently, the value of oceans is being recognized, and the damage of “bottom trawling”. I am looking forward to Ocean with the legendary David Attenborough, who has had to face criticism that his nature documentaries gloss over some issues like plastic pollution. Overall, however, he advocates so effectively for our natural world, and what we have lost in his lifetime.  

Meeting Boy at Kora

WORLD: Given the Trump induced chaos in the world, one of the few positives is that we have all had to reconsider or define our “values” and the world order that we took for granted, so arbitrarily disrupted. We have had to question our alliances and allies, our relationship with America and the region, our supply routes and economic dependencies, and our inability to defend ourselves.

I remain defiantly woke and in favour of DEI – Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. Life and opportunities for the majority of people are very unequal, and racism is endemic. I never thought I would live to see in an allied Western democracy such questioning and disregard for truth, laws, constitutions, science, education, the arts, global health etc., and a total lack of empathy for the less fortunate. Time will tell just how resilient the American economy is, but the uncertainty, capriciousness and chaos must make investing and planning decisions very difficult. Who said we live in a society not an economy?

The shadow over the recent year has again been watching Gaza reduced to rubble, with starving Palestinians herded like animals, as the world stands by. The disproportionate response and number of deaths cannot be justified or excused, nor can the attack and taking of hostages by Hamas. Unfortunately, while anti-semitism certainly exists, it has been weaponized and accusations of it is used to close down legitimate criticisms of Israel. The West Bank is being illegally taken over by Jewish settlers, making a “two state solution” impossible. Finally the world seems to be saying enough is enough, including some very courageous Israelis. Unfortunately I have no faith in the leaders of either Israel or Palestine.

Somehow the Ukrainians courageously fight on, while Putin plays games with Trump.

Our reunion with Christian

AUSTRALIA: Luckily the Labor Party was convincingly returned in an election in Australia, although we are still hypocritical about energy sources and fossil fuels. Our animal extinction rate is among the worst in the world, and land clearing continues unabated, especially in my home state of NSW.

The conservative opposition in Australia (with active help from the Murdoch press) buried the referendum to give Aboriginal people at last a “voice” on issues that involve them. The Voice Referendum unfortunately illustrated our racism and ignorance about our Aboriginal/settler history. To me it is just commonsense to ask Aboriginal people how best to deal with the many disadvantages and inequalities they live with daily. But people are recovering from the loss and are regrouping and the fight for justice goes on, despite government ambivalence and a lack of commitment.

Emily Kam Kngwarray Big Yam Dreaming 1995

TATE MODERN: One of our most famous Aboriginal artists, the late Emily Kam Kngwarray is exhibiting at the TATE MODERN in London until 11 January 2026. She only started painting late in life. I was fortunate to stage several exhibitions of her work, and my sister and I were lucky enough to see her painting a large black and white masterpiece Big Yam Dreaming in Central Australia in 1995. I videoed, while my sister swept the leaves off the canvas for her. This footage of the painting has been shown in various documentaries. This was an extraordinary privilege to witness, as has so much of my career working with Aboriginal artists.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTIAN. You are still not forgotten……nor will be, long after we are gone.

Writing the blog this year I marvel yet again at Christian’s life. Along with my wonderful family and friends, being part of Christian’s journey has been another great privilege that has enriched my life.