Christian the Lion: Two Friends Bought a Lion in London… Then Set Him Free
Part of: Animal Heroes & Amazing Trees
In 1969, two young friends bought a lion cub in a London shop. When he grew too big, they took him to Kenya to live in the wild and said goodbye. A year later they went back. Would he remember them? Learn five A2 words and 'ago' with this true story.
Coming 15 December 2026, 3:00 pm New York time
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
In 1969, two young friends bought a cub in a London shop.
Later, they said to him in Africa.
Would he them?
This is the story of Christian the .
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. A is a big wild cat from Africa.
Christian was a , but he lived in London.
. You say when you leave someone.
In , the friends said to Christian.
. When you someone, you still know them.
Christian his old friends.
. A is when people meet again after a long time.
It was a very happy .
. When you someone, you put your arms around them.
The past is: .
Christian jumped up and them.
Now, one pattern: a time, plus ago.
It means: before now.
They bought a in 1969.
Over fifty years ago, they bought a .
Ready? Let's begin.
Over fifty years ago, two friends from Australia, John and Ace, saw a cub in a big London shop.
They bought him and called him Christian.
Christian was a , but he lived in London, in the shop where John and Ace worked.
Every afternoon, he played football with them in a church garden nearby.
Christian grew fast, and soon he was too big for a shop.
Then two actors from the film Born Free came in.
They had an idea: Africa!
In 1970, Christian flew to .
There, a expert, George Adamson, taught him to live in the wild.
In , the friends said to Christian.
A year later, John and Ace went back to .
George said Christian was wild now.
Would he his old friends?
They waited near some big rocks.
Then a big walked out and stopped.
He looked at them.
Suddenly, he ran to them!
Christian jumped up and them.
Christian his old friends.
It was a very happy .
The was filmed over fifty years ago.
In 2008, millions of people watched the film online.
There were many more wild in Africa fifty years ago.
Today, Christian's story helps people care about them.
Let's review. Christian was a , but he lived in London.
In , the friends said to Christian.
Christian his old friends.
It was a very happy .
Christian jumped up and them.
And : over fifty years ago, they bought a .
Christian's story teaches us: real friends do what is best for you, even when it means saying .
Want more interesting lessons? Go to brightlivesenglish.com. Please subscribe and learn with us.
Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
lion noun
a big wild cat from Africa; the male has long hair around his head
“Christian was a lion, but he lived in London.”
goodbye exclamation / noun
what you say when you leave someone
“In Kenya, the friends said goodbye to Christian.”
remember verb
to still know someone or something in your mind (past: remembered)
“Christian remembered his old friends.”
reunion noun
a time when people (or animals) meet again after a long time
“It was a very happy reunion.”
hug verb
to put your arms around someone (past: hugged)
“Christian jumped up and hugged them.”
Kenya noun
a country in East Africa
“Christian went to live in the wild in Kenya.”
furniture noun
things like tables, chairs and beds in a room
“John and Ace worked in a furniture shop.”
department store noun
a very big shop that sells many different things
“They saw a lion cub in a big department store in London.”
Grammar in the story
time + ago
We use it for: to say how long before now something happened
- They bought a lion in 1969. → Over fifty years ago, they bought a lion.
- I came here in 2023. → I came here three years ago.
From the story
- Over fifty years ago, they bought a lion.
- I started learning English two years ago.
Find it in the story 5 times
Your turn
Over fifty years , they bought a lion.
I saw my best friend three days .
We moved here years ago.
Step 4
Story Challenge
9 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
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Take it further
Before you watch: Do you have an old friend you have not seen for a long time? Do you think animals remember people?
After you watch: Write three sentences with ago. For example: I started this course two months ago. My sister moved to Hanoi a year ago. I saw a lion at the zoo ten years ago.
Think about it: John and Ace loved Christian, but they let him go to Africa. When is saying goodbye the kindest thing to do?
Did you know? Christian was bought at Harrods, a famous London department store, for 250 guineas. He lived in the basement of a furniture shop called Sophistocat on the King’s Road. The actors were Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, the stars of Born Free. John and Ace visited Christian in Kenya again in 1972, and two lionesses in his group also welcomed them.
Image credits (via Wikimedia Commons):
- Photo: London street, 1970 — Londres (1970) 06, LBM1948, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Wild lions in the Maasai Mara, Kenya — Lions Family Portrait Masai Mara, Benh LIEU SONG, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Photo: Maasai Mara, Kenya — Maasai Mara National Reserve - 52469978884, Ninara, CC BY 2.0
- Photo: A lion resting in Kenya — Lions of Kenya 01, flightlog, CC BY 2.0
- Illustration: all other pictures are AI-generated illustrations (artistic interpretations, not real photos). There are no real photos of Christian in the lesson.
