Sirga is a lioness who simply adores cuddling with her human parent named Valentin. Valentin Gruener is the co-founder of the Modisa Wildlife Project that is currently operating in Kalahari, Botswana. He is also a true conservationist at heart. This remarkable individual began to raise Sirga the lioness when she was only a few days old.
At the age of three, Sirga initiated her lessons on how to survive in the wild. Valentin was there by her side training her how to hunt. When Valentin found Sirga, she was only a few days old and abandoned by her own parents. She weighed merely 4 lbs. Her parents had left her to fend for herself after all her other siblings passed away. If Valentin and his team had not come across her, then she would not have survived out in the wilderness.
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He took Sirga to the vet and helped her fight severe dehydration by putting her on a drip. Then Valentin made sure to fatten her up. A year afterward she was fully weaned, eating meat, and weighed 175 lbs. Her transformation over the period of a year was breathtaking. Valentin now trusts that Sirga is the most well-fed and spoiled lioness in Botswana.
Since Sirga had no prior knowledge of how to hunt, Valentin had to get down and dirty when training her. He taught her to stalk, kill and live as any other wild lion would. Much of Valentin’s time was spent crouching in scrubland and pouncing in watering holes along with the lioness. This was all because Sirga had no other lion role models in her life to learn basic survival skills from.
The lioness now hunts for her own food and catches animals such as antelopes. She even allows her human parent to stay beside her while she enjoys her prey. The bond between this lioness and her human father is just heartwarming. They play with one another and even cuddle together. Whenever Sirga sees Valentin, she runs over to greet him with hugs and cuddles.
They hope to release Sirga as a wild lion and not one that has interacted with many humans. This story proves that no matter the size or ferocity of a creature, they are still grateful to those who care for them. We are sure that the bond between the lioness and her human caretaker will never cease to exist as long as they live.