Love knows no Limits and Friendships last a Lifetime! Yes?

[RoboFlonne]

Introducing Christian the Lion!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adYbFQFXG0U

I want a lion!!!

[lcatino]

Awwwww! How precious!

I want a lion too!

[blueheaven]

They are idiots. End of story. There was a guy who wanted to get all warm and fuzzy with Grizzly bears in Alaska. They made a documentary about him. They couldn't finish it because he and his girlfriend were killed by the bears they loved. Leave wild animals alone. They are not our buddies. They are not our pets. They have their world, we have ours. Ask Steve Irwin. Just because this story ended without someone getting mauled does not mean the lion doesn't have instincts. What a stupid video.

[kathpatty]

Born free all over again, how great! Thanks so much for this

[irmgaard]

There was a guy who wanted to get all warm and fuzzy with Grizzly bears in Alaska. They made a documentary about him. They couldn't finish it because he and his girlfriend were killed by the bears they loved.

You are perhaps referring to Werner Herzog's Award winning (LAFCA Award-Best Documentary, DGA Award-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary, NSFC Award-Best Non-Fiction Film, and several other wins and nominations) 2005 Documentary, Grizzly Man? It is most assuredly a complete work.

This film was made after the death of "Grizzly Man"/self-styled naturalist Timothy Treadwell (and his unfortunate girlfriend Amie Huguenard) and is alternately tragic and desperately, darkly funny. I highly recommend it, although it is definitely not for the naïve, wide-eyed nature lover.

[Moop]

Born free all over again, how great!

Maybe even more than you think. George Adamson and the stars of "Born Free" had a hand in relocating Christian to the wild.

[irmgaard]

Born free all over again, how great!

George Adamson and the stars of "Born Free" had a hand in relocating Christian to the wild.

That's him in the clip starting at 1:43

[blueheaven]

This film was made after the death of "Grizzly Man"/self-styled naturalist Timothy Treadwell (and his unfortunate girlfriend Amie Huguenard) and is alternately tragic and desperately, darkly funny. I highly recommend it, although it is definitely not for the naïve, wide-eyed nature lover.

I am aware of this. I was referring to the fact that old Timmy was not around to make the documentary.

[lcatino]

Born free all over again, how great! Thanks so much for this

I was thinking the same thing KP!

[irmgaard]

This film was made after the death of "Grizzly Man"/self-styled naturalist Timothy Treadwell (and his unfortunate girlfriend Amie Huguenard) and is alternately tragic and desperately, darkly funny. I highly recommend it, although it is definitely not for the naïve, wide-eyed nature lover.

I am aware of this. I was referring to the fact that old Timmy was not around to make the documentary.

Well, that would have been very odd...since it was his death that prompted the making of the film.

But because Treadwell had been making films of his sojourns for many years, footage from his own previous documentaries form the basis of the piece, albeit masterfully edited and added to by Mr. Herzog.

Perhaps you were referring to some other work? I just assumed that you meant this famous one.

[blueheaven]

This film was made after the death of "Grizzly Man"/self-styled naturalist Timothy Treadwell (and his unfortunate girlfriend Amie Huguenard) and is alternately tragic and desperately, darkly funny. I highly recommend it, although it is definitely not for the naïve, wide-eyed nature lover.

I am aware of this. I was referring to the fact that old Timmy was not around to make the documentary.

Well, that would have been very odd...since it was his death that prompted the making of the film.

But because Treadwell had been making films of his sojourns for many years, footage from his own previous documentaries form the basis of the piece, albeit masterfully edited and added to by Mr. Herzog.

Perhaps you were referring to some other work? I just assumed that you meant this famous one.

OH MY GOD! It was a joke. YES, I know he was dead before they made this doc. Don't read into everything so literally. If you want to get literal, you could certainly say that it is not finished because they never played Treadwell's last tape (audio).

[irmgaard]

I am aware of this. I was referring to the fact that old Timmy was not around to make the documentary.

Well, that would have been very odd...since it was his death that prompted the making of the film.

But because Treadwell had been making films of his sojourns for many years, footage from his own previous documentaries form the basis of the piece, albeit masterfully edited and added to by Mr. Herzog.

Perhaps you were referring to some other work? I just assumed that you meant this famous one.

OH MY GOD! It was a joke. YES, I know he was dead before they made this doc. Don't read into everything so literally. If you want to get literal, you could certainly say that it is not finished because they never played Treadwell's last tape (audio).

I see you have added to your post.

That was an artistic decision. Herzog is shown listening to the tape ...then later suggests that it be destroyed. This in no way detracts from the finished nature of the film. Now that I know for certain you were referencing Herzog's film in your first post:

They made a documentary about him.

Yes. Werner Herzog made a critically lauded documentary about him.

They couldn't finish it because he and his girlfriend were killed by the bears they loved.

No. That is incorrect. It was made following his death, and it is a complete and very well made work. And although Mr Treadwell had a great deal of love for the bears, in the film it is shown clearly that his girlfriend was there because of her love for him.

I'm glad that you brought this work up, but I wouldn't want anyone to think that that documentary was anything less then the finely polished gem of film-making it is. A masterwork from a master.

And, as a completely unrelated to this post, but related to this thread aside:

It's interesting to note that after decades of working with deadly, dangerous, Big Cats...

Joy and George Adamson (the real Born Free couple) both were murdered, in separate instances almost a decade apart...

by people.

[Gonzai]

Personally, I think this is a very touching story.
Truth be told, it brought a tear to my eye.
Thanks for sharing RF, I needed some cheering
like that.

[Drac of the Sharp Smiles]

They took a dangerous gamble and won. I doubt what they did was done without a lot of good knowledge about lions -- look at their body language with the lion as they interact with it. They're "talking lion" and not treating it like a housecat. I also think what this really points out to people is that animals aren't stupid. They DO remember. I really hate when animals are protrayed as being dumb having 2-second memories.

However, the video also hits on one of my other big peeves... Things that make people want to go out and try to keep animals that are not intended to be kept as pets. There are too many very dangerous animals like lions, tigers, deer, binturong ("bear cats"), etc that are being kept by people who are NOT knowledgeable enough about the animals to be keeping them. These people keep them in inadequate housing, feed them inadequate diets and, in the end, are unable to provide the animal with the interaction every animal needs because they can't get close to it -- interaction it would get in the wild with others of it's own kind. At the same time, they have ensured the animal has not learned what it needs to survive in the wild, so it can't go back there. (The video here doesn't mention that the owners of this lion apparently spent a long time teaching it a lot of survival techniques.... they did NOT just go set it free in the middle of Africa. Had they done that, it would have undoubtably died and not become a productive member of a lion pride.)

So, yes, with all that understood..... I like to see videos like this because, yes, they're cute and I think it's refreshing to see that kind of bond between people and animals. There was a LOT of work that went into creating that bond. ^_^ I just don't like the way a lot of people will see the video.... "Awww, I want a lion." No, you don't.

[RoboFlonne]

I can't have a lion?

I guess I'll just stick with watching "born free" again!

Just because this story ended without someone getting mauled does not mean the lion doesn't have instincts. What a stupid video.

I don't think the video was stupid...

I love it! Love, Love, Love it! It just proves like Drac said that if you love hard enough and with enough effort and research... and not do it half-heartedly or neglect your love.

Even the impossible will be possible!!!

Love is always a gamble and you can get hurt not just physically... but it's not stupid to love...

To love is brave and courageous!

Instead of stupid... I'd prefer to call the video, courageous!

Those men were courageous enough to love!