<div><p>In this video, a fully-grown lion lurks nearby waiting to pounce, leaps onto a man's shoulders, and gnaws on the sleeve of his sweat shirt. Her front paws are as big as his head. </p><p>But she's only playing. You see, Sirga was abandoned by her lion pride when she was just a cub. Conservationists Valentin Gruener and Mikkel Legarth rescued her and raised her to to adulthood, and she owes them a big debt of gratitude. </p><p>The two men founded Modisa Wildlife Project in Botswana, Africa to help prevent the lion population from dying out. They discovered a starving Sirga and knew they had to help her. She had been part of a <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2925670/Abandoned-lion-cub-best-friends-man-seen-leaping-grateful-hug-lioness-star-film-taught-hunt.html">three-cub litter</a> and two of her siblings had already died. </p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/13-3.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/13-3_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>Topinfo Post</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p>27-year-old Gruener fed her with a special formula to help the little lioness gain weight and get proper nutrition. </p><p>Today, Sirga is approximately 250 pounds and eats raw meat. Both Gruener and Legarth are working to introduce her back into the wild. The fearless pair train Sirga to hunt - something her pride would have done. Gruener spends hours teaching her to stalk and kill prey. </p><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p>"We didn't want Sirga to become like other lions in captivity, constantly fed by streams of tourists,' <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2925670/Abandoned-lion-cub-best-friends-man-seen-leaping-grateful-hug-lioness-star-film-taught-hunt.html">says Mikkel</a>. "She hunts her own food, taking antelopes, and she will let us be near her when she eats it, which is remarkable.</p><p>"We want to release her eventually as a wild lion, not as one who has met lots of people. That would be dangerous. She only interacts with me and Valentin."</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/3764aee137bcd0d7920ebedf5b8fe549.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/3764aee137bcd0d7920ebedf5b8fe549_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/3764aee137bcd0d7920ebedf5b8fe549_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/3764aee137bcd0d7920ebedf5b8fe549_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>Twisted Sifter</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p>Sirga is an affectionate lioness. She's always wrapping her "dads" in big hugs, playfully chewing on their clothing, and pretend-pouncing on them. Because she's just playing, she never uses her claws or bites hard. </p><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p>You have to see the video to believe it. </p><amp-iframe sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin" layout="responsive" frameborder="0" height="9" width="16" src="https://rumble.com/embed/u7h67.vgjbe/"></amp-iframe><p>Would you be as comfortable as these guys with a grown lion? Tell us what you think! </p></div>
Animals | Uplifting | Trending