Sirga, a few-day-old abandoned lion cub, develops a strong bond with Valentin Gruener, a naturalist, and co-founder of the Modisa Wildlife Project in Botswana’s Kalahari. Wonderful creatures, such as lions, can be affectionate toward people who treat them well. They sense the kindness and love of humans and gradually open their hearts to them. When these wild creatures put their faith in people, they treat them as though they were a vital part of their lives. Their humans give cuddles, belly massages, and big hugs to the lion cub. Sometimes we couldn’t imagine it, it was like a Disney movie.
In February 2012, Valentin found Sirgo on a farm and saved him. The adults mistreated and abandoned the poor creature, along with the other two cubs. Sirgo was small and weak at the time as weighing only 4 pounds, but she was the only one of the litter to survive. Since then, Valentin has adopted and raised the lion cub. He had to place the tiny animal on a drip to help her fight severe dehydration. He created a feeding routine for Sirgo in cooperation with the veterinarian. Fresh eggs, cream, milk, vitamins, sunflower oil, and calcium were used to make that delicious meal. She grew up healthy thanks to her rescuer’s excellent care, gaining 175 pounds in her first year. After being weaned, the lion began to consume raw meat.
When Sirgo is became a teenager in lion years she’s getting ready to live in the wilderness. Sirgo should not be kept in captivity, according to Valentin. Valentin, the lion’s adoptive father, is teaching her to hunt in order to help her adjust to life in the wild. Valentin also takes the help of Mikkel Legarth, a fellow conservationist from Denmark. Both the “parents” and the lion have a difficult task ahead of them. Valentin and Mikkel need her to hunt and kill, which are not entirely instinctive skills.
Gradually few days old an abandoned lion cub was rescued and formed an incredible bond with her rescuers. Sirga had no adult lions to look up to, so Valentin had to get down and dirty to make sure she learned everything she could. Valentin and Mikkel even took the help of filmmaker Jurgen Jozefowicz to capture their training. They want to release her as a wild lion, not one who has been around a lot of people because that would be extremely risky for her. They realize Sirgo is firming an unbreakable relationship with them. After her siblings died, the adult lions abandoned her, she would not have survived in the wild if Valentin and the team hadn’t discovered her.
