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.

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.

Festival goers attend day one of the Parklife Festival at Heaton Park on June 9, 2018 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Mercury Press)

A West African Slender-snouted Crocodile is pictured in its enclosure at the zoo of Abidjan, Ivory Coast September 9, 2016. (Photo by Luc Gnago/Reuters)

Model Bella Hadid is seen on June 9, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Marc Piasecki/GC Images)

Donna Vekic of Croatia poses during a portrait session held on February 9, 2012 in London. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

A general view of the ghost town of a former Soviet military radar station near Skrunda, Latvia, April 9, 2016. (Photo by Ints Kalnins/Reuters)

A boy flies his kite in a cemetery in the Vila Operaria Favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 9, 2016. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)