The Lion Man

- Season 2

(2005)

Mainly using flash-backs to season 1, this opening episode sketches Craig's life, making the boyish dreams come true to live with big cats. Zafter wild cougars in the Rockies, then became a self-made Hollywood animal handler and moved back to northern New Zealand and started the Zion park - now an expert trainer to acting standard. We recapitulate its building, the feline cats and their stories, and the breeding program, which actually exchanged two white lions from South Africa for two white Bengals tiger cubs.

A recapitulation of Craig's successfully trip to Africa in season 1, when he saw the African fauna in the wild, especially the felines, and arranged for the exchange of white lions for white tigers. Indeed, instead of one, two cubs were exchanged. Some extra footage, and the sequel: how white lion cub Gandor and female Barbary lion cub Shakira passed quarantine and got welcomed and integrated into Zion Park.

This episode, again remixing lots of footage from season one, focuses on breeding, notably tiger cubs, also crucial as exchange for the South African white lion cubs. Both orange Bengal tigress Shikana and white Rewa deliver. Craig manages to get close before, during and after birth, even after taking the previous cubs away temporarily so he can bond as surrogate parent for their training future. Shikana is now a perfect mother for Indra and Khali, but Rewa ignores her two.

This episode, again reusing some footage from season one, focuses first on Craig's cat training for commercials and even a motion picture with lions Zion and Aslan and white tiger Abu. Next it deals with his growing popularity and various more educational jobs, such as visiting schools. Finally their appearances in TV programs and receiving celebrities to Zion Park.

The story of Gandor, the first-ever white lion in New Zealand, with flash-backs to Craig's successful South African trips to negotiate viz. actually effectuate the trade of spontaneous white lion blood -invaluable to counter inbreeding- for a white tiger cub, (two as young Barbary lioness Shikira is thrown into the bargain). After leash training, blood tests and four months quarantine, Gandor arrives in Zion park and gets acquainted with staff and fellow felines, especially Barbary lion - and Bengal tiger cubs. Meanwhile Shikana's first surviving pup Sita proves a ...

After six months the lion cubs finally arrive in New Zealand. Craig gets them trough customs for a last month of quarantine, now inside Zion Park, where the new cat quarters are nearing completion, albeit behind schedule. Craig further concentrates on the new pregnancy of Shikana, which is confirmed by vet Poot.

The Zion Wildlife Gardens staff bets on the date of Shikana's latest births. Water-loving tigers get a hosing-down to cool down but only young Sita isn't quite into getting wet yet. Soon their new permanent troughs are installed and happily baptized. The birth barn takes extra effort to be ready just in time for Shikana's double delivery. Meanwhile Zion stars in a TV commercial shoot. Both tiger cubs are healthy females, but neither is white.

Craig's next hope for a white cub, Rewa, gets pregnant, only not monogamously with the planned father Abu. He in turn wounds rival Jadhu, a stitching job for vet Didier, who brings his two young sons along. Craig visits a fellow trainer, who specializes in halfbreed wolves, on an Auckland film set.

Craig prepares to take the two orange tiger cubs Indra and Kali away from their good Bengal mother, Shikana, so he can forge a 'parental' bond by hand-feeding them. Craig and young male Aslan are hired for a 19th century lion-taming British commercial. Back home, Shikana and Sita are reunited, softening the loss of the young cubs, and moved back into their den.

Craig trains Aslan and Narnia to walk on a leash, helped by Gavin because at two the lions are just too strong for the girls. Even 'daddy' Craig has a hard time making the white lion, Abu, pose for photographer Johnno, his team and young son for a Ceylon tea campaign, as the equipment inspires suspicion. External vet Hugh Black's final inspection gives white lions Gazndor and Shikira the go-ahead to leave quarantine.

Craig shows that even a lion Aslan's size goes easily into the office on a leash with him, although a stuffed tiger gets it before he's reunited with his sisters. The tiger cubs show their playful and rebellious sides during leash training, but also have diet and medical troubles.

Craig demonstrates how much harder reluctant white lion Gandor is to handle on a leash than eager Shakira. Rewa's pregnancy is confirmed. With his help, and at great danger, she delivers two white tiger cubs, the first ever in New Zealand - these cubs promised in return for obtaining the South African lions. Rewa refuses to mother them, so Craig starts bottle-feeding etc. right away, a full-time job, especially with two older orange cubs messing around.

Craig must concentrate on both pairs of tiger cubs, and training two assistants before he leaves on a Thailand trip in two weeks. Meanwhile the 'wild' lion pride is in 'civil war' as leader Samson's throne is challenged by younger male Shumba. To separate them, work on the new enclosures is hasted.

Craig visits a Budhist tiger temple outside the Thai capital Bangkok. The abbot presides over a tiger sanctuary that is both cat and tourist-friendly, and is earning its own keep. British volunteer Colin Dickens doesn't mind the rough play by the big cats although he's repeatedly clawed and bitten 'playfully', he still has scars on legs and bottom.

Craig's Thai trip continues north, to Lampang conservation center. There Asian elephants and mahouts, their life-time handlers, are trained. The eliphants serve mainly the tourism industry and are for hire to ceremonies as logging was banned to save the dwindling rain-forest. Craig proves a talented handler. Back home, Craig's friend Nick takes care of the park's cats.

Craig's next Thai destination is a zoo where two people from the UK breed the rare clouded leopard. Then it's off to an elephant hospital, where abused animals get treatment. After ten days Craig returns home, happily reunited with mascot Zion and his other cats.

This season finale comprises odd flash-backs to favorite fragments from the second season. This includes the arrival of Craig and New Zealand's first white lion, cubs Gandor and Shakira. Other obvious favorites were Bengal tigress Shikana's latest cubs, Indra and Kahli, and two more for exchange. Also clips of leash-training, the park extension works and the Thailand trip.