In the 1970′s, actress and model Tippi Hedren (mother of actress Melanie Griffith) created the Shambala Preserve after producing the film Roar. The preserve rescued exotic big cats living in captivity that had been abused or were in need of help, one of which the family created a close bond with. Neil the lion lived with the family in their home, and played an active role in the day to day activities of the preserve.

Actress/Singer Victoria Justice arrives at the 2012 Teen Choice Awards at Gibson Amphitheatre on July 22, 2012 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Jeffrey Mayer)

Actress Nora Arnezeder arrives at NBC Universal's 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards After Party at The Beverly Hilton hotel on January 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

American actress Caylee Cowan attends the OK! Magazine NYFW Party at PhD, Dream Downtown Hotel Rooftop on September 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/OK! Magazine/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Actress and model Emily Ratajkowski arrives for the 2016 CFDA Fashion Awards in Manhattan, New York, U.S., June 6, 2016. (Photo by Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

José Pereira de Souza plays an accordion as actress and model Tatiana Melo gives a television interview in Feira Nordestina outside of the Olympic periphery on Wednesday, August 17, 2016. (Photo by Aaron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

Dutch actress, dancer and model Lotte Verbeek and the cast of “The Book Of Vision” recreate the pinnacle scene from the movie during the 77th Venice Film Festival at on September 03, 2020 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Yara Nardi/Reuters)

Italian actress Sophia Loren and US actor Marlon Brando at a cinema in Rome on November 11, 1954, where Brando received the Francesco Pasinetti Prize for his performance in the film “On The Waterfront”. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)