Valentin Gruener, a 27 year old man from Germany rescued and raised a young lion cub by himself in a wildlife park in Botswana. Gruenur says that since Sirga, the lion cub, arrived he basically hasn’t left the camp. The pair spend their time hanging out in the Botswana bush, together they do the kind of things that big cats enjoy, such as hunting, play-fighting and  chilling under trees. Gruenur says he was unsure of Sirga after her first kill, however she ‘allowed him to come in’.

Willy de Graaf has gave Gruener 500 hectares (two square miles) to create a “miniature park” for Sirga to roam freely, but she will not be released into the wild. They will not release Sirga back into the wild not because she would not survive but because she has lost her fear for humans. In the park Sirga can roam like a wild lion but she will remain safe.

Gruener put aside his work on a PhD while he was raising Sirga, and has hardly ever left her alone. He says he will possibly return to his work once Sirga has a bigger closure and more space, and possibly another lion companion. Gruener says Sirga is his priority and as long as she needs him, he’ll be there for her. Gruenur says nothing will ever change between him and Sirga.