Close encounters

Lion forms close, rare bond with conservationists

Valentin Gruener and Mikkel Legarth raise Sirga as a cub after she was abandoned; pair seeks to save lion population through Modisa Wildlife Project

November 04, 2013 by David Strege

Mikkel Legarth with Sirga the lion at sunset; photo from Caters News Agency used by permission

Valentin Gruener and Mikkel Legarth play with Sirga as if she were a family pet. But while she is not a pet, Sirga is considered part of the family, as much as a lion can be part of a human family.
It is a touching bond that stretches back to when the two men rescued Sirga as a cub deep in the African bush and became the animal’s surrogate parents. Legarth told the U.K. Daily Mail that his bond with Sirga is similar to her being part of his pride.
“A pride had three cubs and two were killed before Sirga was abandoned without food,” Legarth told the Daily Mail. “It happened on our land and we could not stand by and watch her die.”