The Incredible Tale Of An Unusual Bond Between An Animal and A Human

While it would be foolish to believe that wild animals can be amenable, there are some exceptions, a good example of which is the story of Kiara, the lioness, and her trainer Karam.

The love of helping distressed animals and endangered species fulfilled one of his life goals, and he even worked with animals at a wildlife shelter. However, it was during a trip to Mexico that Karam met his future feline friend for the first time. 

Around late afternoon, Karam and his friend had just driven out of a service station and headed toward the desert. The duo passed a scenic cliff and stopped briefly to take in the beautiful sights of nature.

He had a hunch of what it was but decided to move closer and observe the creature from a safe distance. By sheer luck, Karam happened to have stumbled on a famished lion cub in the desert. 

Against all odds, Karam took the cub with him on the journey and nurtured it back to health. He then brought the cub back to the US and kept it in the shelter where he worked. 

Since Karam was the one that brought the cub to the shelter, he was allowed to have oversight of her. Karam would later name her Kiara, after a lioness in The Lion King. 

Unfortunately, she had no say in who would be tending to her. Many years passed, and eventually, she got used to having someone else as her trainer.

However, Kiara was no longer the cute, fluffy, adorable lion cub he adopted several years ago. She was now a fully grown lioness with mighty jaws, deadly paws, and several pounds of muscle at her disposal. 

So, two mornings after his return, Karam got dressed and drove to the shelter. It had been a while, and the shelter had hired a new coordinator. 

However, when Karam arrived, it wasn’t difficult for him to identify his now-grown friend, but he couldn’t tell if she remembered him. So, he was cautious enough to only look on from afar.

However, that research finding does not include several years after not seeing the said human. Interestingly, Kiara remembered, though faintly. She could tell a member of her lion pride was close by. 

Shortly after Karam arrived at the shelter, Kiara got up and started sniffing the air, even long before she saw him. Then, Karam broke the ice by calling her name. 

Though initially worried about the reunion, the coordinator finally allowed Karam and Kiara to have personal contact after so many years apart. First, the team had to isolate the lioness in a separate cage. While Kiara showed signs of knowing Karam, they couldn’t trust the other lions in the pack. 

But a lion trainer like Karam was used to those roars already, so much so that he could tell a threatening one from a friendly call. Karam interpreted Kiara’s roar as friendly and decided to proceed into the cage. 

As soon as the gate to the cage was lifted, Kiara strode up in Karam’s direction; it was an enrapturing moment of reunion. The lioness was initially calm but lost grip of herself once she got up close. 

Before anyone could intervene, the pair was on the floor in an ecstatic embrace. One can imagine Kiara reliving the memories of when she was still just a cub. 

Other staff members looked on in shock as the two old friends rolled around on the grass. It was apparent that the duo was trying to recreate old memories. 

When Karam was still an active lion trainer at the wildlife shelter, he had complete oversight of Kiara’s development. He fed her, played with her, and taught her the basics of independent life. 

He fed her game, groomed her, and played with her. Sometimes, they would spend entire afternoons together, reclined in the shade of a tree. Karam knew he would one day have to leave, and Karia may eventually get released into the wild. 

Karam exposed young Kiara to a regimen of physical activities to build her muscles and agility, and his efforts paid off. 

Unfortunately, the facilities available at the wildlife shelter are not sufficient for the growth of young lions and lionesses.

Lionesses, like every other cat, love to be groomed. So, after all the hugging and patting, Kiara made to pull off Karam’s trousers. As far as she was concerned, Karam was a member of the pride that had just returned from a long journey. 

Soon enough, Kiara started nibbling on Karam’s arm. An uninitiated visitor to the shelter would have thought a fatal disaster was looming. 

For the rest of the afternoon, they both sat on the grass to chill out. Kiara was almost certain that her adopted father had returned to stay.

But Kiara had other plans. The lioness held on to his leg to prevent him from leaving. However, Karam was able to release himself from her grip successfully. But he would be sure to revisit his friend. 

Kiara would soon be moved to a Wildlife Foundation in Mexico City. While the news meant another dose of separation for the two friends, it would benefit the young lioness. According to the coordinator, the foundation has an expansive reserve that would give animals in its care a feel of living in the wild. 

When it was time to move Kiara to her new home, Karam went along and personally delivered her to her new caregivers.

Karam also helped the new caregivers at the foundation understand the lioness’ quirks and peculiarities. He intended to spend just two days at the enclosure but ended up staying for a week.  

So, Karam came with all of Kiara’s toys and belongings to help her have something familiar after he left.

Seeing Kiara was all set up for a fulfilling adulthood, Karam walked out of the facility and prepared to leave Mexico City.

The next time Karam reached out to the handlers at the New Mexico wildlife foundation, he was told Kiara was doing very well. They were also nice enough to send video recordings of his lioness friend.