Of course, lions are dangerous animals that demand careful treatment, so it’s best to keep away from them. This does not, however, imply that they are cold and unsympathetic.
And the story of 70-year-old zookeeper Frikki Solms is vivid proof of that. Frikki lives in South Africa and has been close friends with lion Zion for eleven years.
At the zoo, the lioness Simba gave birth to Zion, but the baby was promptly whisked away because the father could kill him. And the lion cub grew up to be a pampered creature under Frikki’s care, rather than a predator. He even removed his shoes before seeing his strange pet, as the noise of shoes could upset Zion.
Frikki shares that taking care of lion is an unusual experience, especially the fact that he grew up before his eyes from infancy and he had the opportunity to notice changes in his appearance and character, and he also grew up with him and learned a lot of new things.
He assures that people somehow generalize lions, but each of them has its own character, sense of humor and other distinctive features. So, Zion is very effeminate. He never attacks anyone and you can completely trust him.
But whose genes he got is questionable, since his dad is a very aggressive lion and was not even attached to his offspring in any way. Frikki and Zion have been friends for 11 years and are not going to part.