Tony Deserted Her

 

Subira, the lion, spent the days, either pouring rain or hot sunshine, lying in the tall grass, or in her house, big head between her paws, and sulking. What else does a lion do when the only Living Being in the entire world, for whom she cares, has abandoned her? And Tony had disappeared.

 

Tony, as many of your will have heard, had been invited to a conference of bear rehabilitators in Russia. There he was sharing with them the work which Aspen Valley has been doing over the years, with bears – and thus helping bears from South America to northern Russia and all the places in between. Apparently we had rehabilitated more bears than any other Sanctuary in the world – and done it well. About which Subira couldn’t care less.

 

The work at the Sanctuary continued. Ben and Jai took care of every situation: this is spring time, and orphans were arriving constantly – raccoons and squirrels, fawns and foxes, and bear cubs and birds. Rescues and releases and medical attention, and - whatever that car coming up the laneway was bringing with it now – and I, of course, was looking after five orphaned baby beavers and wondering how anyone could think that a mere trip to Russia was more exciting than that!

 

But Subira continued to sulk. Lions do not make good pets; for anyone else to go into her enclosure, even as a substitute Tony, would be utterly dangerous. She is attached to one person only. Ben and Jai could put her daily supply of raw chicken in through the feeding hole in the fence – they could talk to her and assure her that Tony would return – but all we had for the long days that Tony was away was a very unhappy lion. Dogs are well known for their deep attachment to their human masters – but, while “master” is a term which cannot really be applied to any relationship with a lion, the extent of her loneliness was something we had certainly not anticipated.

 

And then Tony returned!

 

A great, huge, lumbering lion can dance. She rushed around her enclosure . . . he waited until she was calmer, and then went in. She licked his hands and his face – she rushed around through the tall grass – when he finally sat down, she sat down beside him. She leaned against him. And then they went into her house and sat, out of the mosquitoes ( likely Tony’s choice), in the dry straw, and the conversation went on and on. If she learned anything about bears and Russia it is difficult to say, but he learned that no human friend ought to leave a lion, even with friends.

 

And her chicken is being brought into the pen every day now, and being put properly down in the place it belongs Brought in by Tony. As it ought to be.