Lion Called Christian Read Online Free PDF Page A
Author: Anthony Bourke
navigated our way very carefully with him, and learned about him quickly. We rarely misjudged his intentions, and we learned to anticipate any situations that could have unpredictable outcomes.
The King's Road, Chelsea. Ace left, John right.
Above: Easter 1970. "And there were no casualties ..."
Right: In the flat above Sophisticat.
Lift: Surveying his kingdom in Sophisticat.
Center: His favorite position--on the stairs at Sophisticat.
Bottom: Football in the Moravian Close.
Right: Christian was always curious and could never resist an open drawer.
Bottom left: Christian, like all lions, was fascinated by children.
Bottom right: John (left) and Ace (right) with Christian on the stairs to the flat.
John (left) and Ace (right) in the showroom at Sophisticat.
Lunch with model Emma Breeze at the Casserole Restaurant in the King's Road, Chelsea.
Christian with Mark at Todd's Hairdressers in the World's End.
In the flat above Sophisticat.
Top: Radio presenter Jack de Manio tries to interview Christian, who failed to "roar" for the listeners, for the BBC.
Bottom: Christian meeting Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers in Sophisticat.
Watching out for customers at Sophisticat.
Playing hide-and-seek in the Moravian Close.
It was easy to recognize a psychological pattern of behavior in him that could be interpreted in human terms. While this is anthropomorphic, to us aspects of his personality did resemble a human's personality. His "sense of humor" seemed very similar to ours. If he tripped over something, and with his huge paws he tended to be rather clumsy for a lion, he appeared "embarrassed" but would quickly pretend, as most people do, that nothing had happened. It seemed lions can communicate with humans much more closely than almost all other animals can. We were realizing that the two most powerful predators in the world have so much in common.
Christian's personality was immense, and his presence entirely filled the shop and our lives. We realized that if the months he was to live with us were to be as happy for him as we intended, he had to be allowed as much natural expression as possible. For him to remain the content, even-tempered animal he was, it was necessary, in addition to giving him all the time and affection we had, to minimize any restriction.
We attained a relationship of mutual respect, with no hint from him of domestic-animal subservience. We made no attempt to dominate or train him, and in our experience this would probably have had disastrous consequences. Besides, it is doubtful if a lion can ever be totally dominated, perhaps just precariously controlled. And a lion's respect is not easily earned. Christian had a determined character, but he seemed to realize that he had to cooperate, and he quickly knew what sort of behavior would not be allowed. Neither of us has had any contact with circus animals or animals used in live entertainment. One can only guess at the psychological games, bribes, rewards, and punishments involved in getting animals to perform. In 2003 Roy, half of the Las Vegas double act Siegfried and Roy, was attacked by a tiger during one of their animal illusionist performances.
Christian hated being ignored, and was very conscious of the effect he had on people. He could not resist testing the reactions of newcomers, and always remembered if people had not coped well with him previously. Like all animals he always knew when someone was uncomfortable around him, and would take advantage of this. If customers had not noticed him sitting on the stairs in the shop, he would grunt to attract their attention. From this commanding position, his paws knocked off several hats and pairs of glasses. He was extremely curious, and his eyes were always watching and searching for anything new that had to be investigated.
It was his eyes that were his most arresting feature. They were expressive, intelligent eyes that could transmit love and trust, or they could
The King's Road, Chelsea. Ace left, John right.
Above: Easter 1970. "And there were no casualties ..."
Right: In the flat above Sophisticat.
Lift: Surveying his kingdom in Sophisticat.
Center: His favorite position--on the stairs at Sophisticat.
Bottom: Football in the Moravian Close.
Right: Christian was always curious and could never resist an open drawer.
Bottom left: Christian, like all lions, was fascinated by children.
Bottom right: John (left) and Ace (right) with Christian on the stairs to the flat.
John (left) and Ace (right) in the showroom at Sophisticat.
Lunch with model Emma Breeze at the Casserole Restaurant in the King's Road, Chelsea.
Christian with Mark at Todd's Hairdressers in the World's End.
In the flat above Sophisticat.
Top: Radio presenter Jack de Manio tries to interview Christian, who failed to "roar" for the listeners, for the BBC.
Bottom: Christian meeting Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers in Sophisticat.
Watching out for customers at Sophisticat.
Playing hide-and-seek in the Moravian Close.
It was easy to recognize a psychological pattern of behavior in him that could be interpreted in human terms. While this is anthropomorphic, to us aspects of his personality did resemble a human's personality. His "sense of humor" seemed very similar to ours. If he tripped over something, and with his huge paws he tended to be rather clumsy for a lion, he appeared "embarrassed" but would quickly pretend, as most people do, that nothing had happened. It seemed lions can communicate with humans much more closely than almost all other animals can. We were realizing that the two most powerful predators in the world have so much in common.
Christian's personality was immense, and his presence entirely filled the shop and our lives. We realized that if the months he was to live with us were to be as happy for him as we intended, he had to be allowed as much natural expression as possible. For him to remain the content, even-tempered animal he was, it was necessary, in addition to giving him all the time and affection we had, to minimize any restriction.
We attained a relationship of mutual respect, with no hint from him of domestic-animal subservience. We made no attempt to dominate or train him, and in our experience this would probably have had disastrous consequences. Besides, it is doubtful if a lion can ever be totally dominated, perhaps just precariously controlled. And a lion's respect is not easily earned. Christian had a determined character, but he seemed to realize that he had to cooperate, and he quickly knew what sort of behavior would not be allowed. Neither of us has had any contact with circus animals or animals used in live entertainment. One can only guess at the psychological games, bribes, rewards, and punishments involved in getting animals to perform. In 2003 Roy, half of the Las Vegas double act Siegfried and Roy, was attacked by a tiger during one of their animal illusionist performances.
Christian hated being ignored, and was very conscious of the effect he had on people. He could not resist testing the reactions of newcomers, and always remembered if people had not coped well with him previously. Like all animals he always knew when someone was uncomfortable around him, and would take advantage of this. If customers had not noticed him sitting on the stairs in the shop, he would grunt to attract their attention. From this commanding position, his paws knocked off several hats and pairs of glasses. He was extremely curious, and his eyes were always watching and searching for anything new that had to be investigated.
It was his eyes that were his most arresting feature. They were expressive, intelligent eyes that could transmit love and trust, or they could
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