Excited Lioness Gleefully Greets the Man Who Raised Her With a Great Big Hug

While visiting the Modisa Wildlife Project in Maun, Botswana, Dr. John Hawkins captured this amazing footage of the gleeful reunion between a lioness named Sirga and wildlife conservationist Valentin Gruener, the human who rescued her as an orphaned cub.

This is a video of my good friend Val. He is a wildlife conservationist that raised Sirga (the Lioness) almost from birth. This guy is exceptionally inspirational. He takes her on game walks and she can even hunt on her own!

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.