Christian the Lion: The Full Story in Pictures

Bill Travers, John Rendall, Ace Berg, and Virginia McKenna with Christian in Surrey

"We didn't know how long this would take to organize Christian's move to Kenya because you have to get permission from the government to bring a lion to Africa. Once they agreed, a place had to be found that had water but no people.

"During the four months my husband and George were searching, Christian came to live with us in Surrey. We built a proper living enclosure in the garden with double gates and an overhang. I remember he had his first birthday here because they made him a lovely minced meat cake. Getting to know him was absolutely wonderful, as you can imagine."