Lava flows from an eruption of a volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland on March 28, 2021. A week on, big crowds of Sunday hikers flocked to the Fagradalsfjall area to see up close Iceland's latest volcano eruption, as the gentle lava flow allowed people to get close to he eruption some 40 km west of Iceland's capital Reykjavik. (Photo by Halldor Kolbeins/AFP Photo)

Supporters enjoy the atmosphere before watching England's second World Cup match against USA on the big screen at Road to Victory, Europe's largest World Cup fan park at Mayfield Depot on November 25, 2022 in Manchester, England. The English team came into their second World Cup 2022 match favoured to win. (Photo by Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)

A Russian Rosguardia (National Guard) servicemen secures an area as a massive blaze seen over the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Several gunmen have burst into a big concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people and setting a massive blaze in an apparent terror attack days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. (Photo by Dmitry Serebryakov/AP Photo)

A man dressed as a “Trapajon”, representing entities of nature, poses for a picture after taking part in the Vijanera Festival in Silio, northern Spain, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013. The Vijanera masquerade, of pre-Roman origin, is the first carnival of the year in Europe symbolizing the triumph of good over evil and involving the participation of crowds of residents wearing different masks, animal skins and brightly colored clothing with its own complex function and symbolism and becoming the living example of the survival of archaic cults to nature. (Photo by Daniel Ochoa de Olza/AP Photo)

X Factor and Celebrity Big Brother starlet Chloe Khan is seen working up a sweat at her luxury home on August 30, 2016. The CBB star squeezed into a pair of super-tight leggings and a teeny crop top for a very public workout. She may be a self-made millionaire, but life wasn't always so good for Chloe Khan. The Celebrity Big Brother star, 25, has revealed she was brought up in poverty as a child in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, UK. Chloe lived with her mother on a council estate before she auditioned for the X Factor and became a playboy model. (Photo by Palace Lee)

New York City is populated with millions of people that each serve as an essential piece of the city's eclectic pie. The Big Apple's offering of unique and diverse individuals is arguably unmatched. We always hear about what a melting pot this immense metropolis is with its endless supply of quirky characters and the ongoing photo series known as Humans of New York proves it.

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.