LOVE LIONS ALIVE by Andi Rive

A Time When I Was So Alone & Now A Time In Which I Have Found Help (Bridging the gap) In my loneliness, I have investigated why the term Heartbroken became a term. What I have discovered is that one's heart physically feels pain as if broken. The term could quite equally have been heartcracked. Heartshattered. Heartcrumpled. Heartsquashed. Heartconstricted. Heartsmothered. The other words I have physically explored are Panic, Desperation, Anxiety, Fear, Trust, Betrayal, Love, Responsibility. I can quite assuredly say that they are all words which can be felt through the human body. Knowing that one's failure affects the lives of innocent beings is almost too painful a situation to bear. There was a time in which I cried out, were there no other people out there who care to see these lions remain alive? This sounds like a Greek tragedy and for that I feel embarrassed. I stepped bravely into this world of lions, the reason being, I believe, was that I had no actual r...

A time when my heart used to walk around outside of me. Today is Taai’s 4 th birthday. I actually had to count the years this morning because although I woke up knowing that it is his 4 th birthday, I couldn’t believe it. How have 4 whole years gone by since he came into my life? Taai On the 26 th October 2013 a Lioness called Angel of Fire gave birth to 6 cubs. This is considered a large litter. Lions only have 4 nipples so 4 of the 6 cubs would comfortably suckle at one time whilst two would hungrily root around for a teat but only get to drink if they could nudge another cub off or the other cub had had enough and abandoned her spot.   For the first few days it seemed to be evenly matched with all cubs getting a chance to feed. But as the days progressed, Angel Of Fire would only allow 4 cubs to suckle, with no particular preference, she’d lie still whilst the first 4 cubs latched on but would quickly stand up and shake them all off when the 5...

Putting my actions in line with my beliefs? Taai and Mela look out from atop a boulder at LLA My heart was torn between the two courses of action. My own lion loves, Taai and Mela could have cubs. In nature these lions would be free to mate and breed. My mission statement is to give them the most natural living conditions lions can have in captivity. Where do I draw the line, how do I decide who gets to live here, how is it that I get to decide, Playing God? To sterilise or to allow nature to fulfill Mela's need to nurture. Everyday I walk in the veld under the condemning sun. My legs ache with weakness my chest constricts in breathless quakes. Yet the joy I feel at seeing Natacha rolling and rubbing against Moya, the relief I feel on observing Shannon gazing across the valleys as Reign bounds up to lie on the boulder alongside of him; the deep sigh I emit when Taai and Mela touch foreheads, makes it all worthwhile  Love fills my unfit soul. These lions have come fro...

By bullet? By petting? By poisonous words? Working for the lions There are those who have passed through here. They gave real days or weeks (or Jann who gave 2 months). They sweated, toiled and worked. Cutting through the bull Building water pools I sit here tonight and I wonder about those who have not tried, not left their keyboards but somehow have the power to deconstruct this sanctuary.  Quite unbelievably there are those who can actually undo what we've done. Living without a house, The constant penetrating cold; my mind races through all the things we live without...bathrooms, kitchens, walls... but living in the cold is the one that resounds the loudest. There are two other humans who are willing to live as I do. Tale and Line. They have joined me in this life lived for lions. The thing that bewilders me is how someone sitting on the end of a computer in Florida USA or a cosy suburb in JHB, or any other warm, walled, plumbed room can have an influ...

Did I grow up knowing I would live with lions? Shy but proud of being in The Lions Group Well actually I had never really thought about lions. But on thinking about it now, it comes to mind that at Nursery school I was in the Lion Group and I was pleased about that. At temple Emmanuel Nursery school, when my wild haired teacher Sheila called for the Lions to please come into the classroom with the lion logo on the door I felt that I belonged. I'd look over at the Elephants and feel quietly sorry for them.  In addition, it turns out that my star sign is Leo (and apparently moon, sun and planets). Yet for many years of my life I tried to become a Cancerian as I felt that being a Leo was to 'obvious', to overtly the 'sign to be'. For my 10th birthday I got my mother to take me to a circus because I had seen that I could hold a lion cub there. Ironic isn't it? I live for them and against this. The drive, standing in queues and the show itself were all ...