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.

Local villagers fall onto the ground from an ox-cart as they ride to rid evil spirits from their village at Pring Ka-ek village, Cambodi. (Photo by Heng Sinith/AP Photo)

Punk protest band p*ssy Riot member Maria Alyokhina is detained by police at a protest in central Moscow February 24, 2014. Russian riot police detained over a hundred protesters, including two members of p*ssy Riot, on Monday at a Moscow courthouse where seven opponents of President Vladimir Putin were jailed from two and a half to four years over a demonstration that turned violent. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

Shakira poses with French Culture Minister, Frederic Mitterrand after being honored at Hotel Majestic on January 28, 2012 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

An alleged albino cub of Jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi) plays at the Conservation Park in Medellin, Colombia, on December 23, 2021. According to environmentalists of the Conservation Park of Medellin, the little Jaguarundi will have to live in captivity as its albinism prevents it to hunt, camouflage, and protect itself from predators in the wild. (Photo by Fredy Builes/AFP Photo)