A lioness named Sirga

Meet Sirga, an adult lioness, and her "adoptive parents" - young people who care about her and her future and do everything to draw public attention to the problems of lions in Africa.

(Total 14 photos)

1. This is a touching story about the amazing bond between animal and human. (Caters News Agency)

2. On the left - Sirga, a 50-kilogram lioness. On the right are her "adoptive parents" Valentin Gruner and Mikkel Legart. (Caters News Agency)

3. As a child, Sirga was kicked out of the pride, and she was saved by the German-Danish duo Valentin and Mikkel, who simply could not leave her to die. (Caters News Agency)

4. Incredibly, Sirga treats these young people as if they are part of her pride. And thanks to them, she now knows how to hunt. (Caters News Agency)

5. She was a beacon of hope for the Modisa project, founded in Botswana by Valentin and Mikkel in the hope of increasing the number of lions. On the territory of Botswana, 2.5 Great Britain would fit, but in such a vast territory there is less and less space left for lions every year. (Caters News Agency)

6. The Modisa project is trying to work with local farmers to find a balance between humans and wildlife. As part of the project, it is planned to move lions that are in contact with farmers to a protected area where they can hunt in peace. (Caters News Agency)

7. For 30-year-old Mikkel Sirg, it’s like a sister, part of his pride. “There were three cubs in the pride, and two of them died, and Sirga was left alone, without food. It happened on our territory, and we simply could not pass by and let her die. We didn't want her to be caught and put in a cage. She communicates only with me and Valentine. She hunts on her own and allows us to be near when she deals with the dead antelope. It's amazing". (Caters News Agency)

8. “Sirga does not mind the presence of people, but she does not pay attention to them. Wild lions are afraid of people. Problems can begin if a lion who is accustomed to people is released into the wild. In the end, we want to set Sirga free." (Caters News Agency)

9. The Modisa project plans to relocate lions from areas where they are threatened by local farmers. (Caters News Agency)

10. “If wild lions are released somewhere else, they will return to the place they came from, because there is food there. And if you just let them go in the middle of a new territory, they can disturb the pride that already lives there. In Botswana, all lions are protected like swans in the UK. And because of this, they are also problematic to move,” says Mikkel. (Caters News Agency)

11. “Now we have 10,000 hectares of land with 10-15 lions in fenced enclosures. They are wild lions, but we have to feed them. When you first approach a lion, your very body tells you that something is wrong here.” (Caters News Agency)

12. (Caters News Agency)

13. (Caters News Agency)

14. (Caters News Agency)