CNN had a link today for “8 Feel-Good Websites to Brighten Your Day” and the story of Christian the lion was here,

In 1969 a young Australian, John Rendall and his friend Ace Bourke, bought a small lion cub from Harrods pet department, which was then legal.  ‘Christian’ was kept in the basement of a furniture shop on the Kings Road in Chelsea, the heart of the swinging sixties.  Loved by all, the affectionate cub ate in a local restaurant, played in a nearby graveyard, but was growing fast…

A chance encounter with Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna led to a new life for Christian.  He came to live in an enclosure and slept in a caravan at their Surrey home.  Then in 1971 he was flown to Kenya, his ancestral home, and returned to the wild by lion-man George Adamson.  Almost a year later in 1972, John and Ace returned to Kora in Kenya and it is their reunion with Christian at this time that is shown in the clip.

Go visit the site and watch the video of Christian and the reunion.