This lioness, Kiara, was rescued years ago after she was injured by hunters. In the years that followed, she was always cared for by the same man. Over the years, Kiara and her caretaker became very close. But their relationship was disrupted when he suddenly became seriously ill. It was only after seven years that they could see each other again, for the first time. And then the following happened... The past seven years had been heartbreaking to see. Every day, the lioness searched for her caretaker, Ralf. Kiara often sat in a corner, waiting for him. The poor lioness barely ate and lost a lot of weight, as a result. Seven years passed, in which time the two hadn't see each other at all. But then, unexpectedly, Ralf was back in the cage with Kiara. Would she still recognize him?
The excitement was almost palpable, but what Kiara did then shocked everyone!
Before all of this, Ralf was a successful businessman, who had everything that he could possibly desire. Yet he always felt as if something was missing in his life. He was not happy. Thirteen years ago, he therefore decided to make a drastic change. He quit his job, sold his expensive house and packed up his things. He had always wanted to visit South Africa, so he decided it was now time to pursue his dream. When he landed at the airport, he was immediately approached by a local man. The man approached Ralf with an offer that would change his life forever...

The man was distributing flyers at the airport for his safari tour. He promised Ralf that he would see exotic animals and nature beyond his wildest dreams. With enthusiasm, Ralf accepted the flyer. This was why he had wanted to go to South Africa after all. He decided to sign up for the next safari right away. A few days later, he was already in the safari car. And nothing the man had said was a lie; They drove past the most beautiful sights of nature and they saw lots of wild animals. But then, all of a sudden, there was a loud bang near the car!

Ralf got scared and looked around in confusion. His guide, however, knew exactly what was going on and took off with screeching tires towards the place where the bang came from. "Poachers!" he shouted to Ralf, who had no idea where they were going. But no matter how fast the guide drove, it was to no avail. When they arrived at the crime scene, the culprits had escaped and there was no trace of their prey either, except for the fresh blood on the ground... With no animals in sight, Ralf stepped out of the vehicle and slowly walked towards the scene. He was just about to crouch down in the sand when he suddenly saw something moving nearby in the bushes!

Ralf anxiously backed away. There were lots of dangerous animals around that could kill him in an instant! But then he heard a soft sound coming from the bushes. This was clearly not a large or dangerous beast. So Ralf decided to take his chances. He slowly walked towards the bushes and pushed the branches aside. And there he saw something that immediately filled his heart with love...

There, all alone, sat a little lion cub. She had a sore paw and cried out for her mother. But her mother would never come back, Ralf knew. The cub looked into his eyes, frightened and confused. And at that moment, Ralf knew what he had to do. He felt an immediate connection with the little lioness and took her in his arms. He wanted to take her back to the U.S., to a wildlife sanctuary near him. And so he did. He looked for work at the reserve and took care of the little lioness, whom he called Kiara, for six years. The two were so attached to each other that even the other caretakers often looked at them with endearment. "Kiara was really like a daughter to him," one of them says. But then, out of nowhere, fate suddenly struck... One day, Ralf became unwell when he was playing with Kiara. He suddenly, for no reason at all, lost consciousness and fell to the ground. Frightened, Kiara paced around him and pressed her nose against his face, but he didn't wake up. When the other caretakers saw this, they rushed into the cage to help Ralf. They quickly called the emergency number and, before he knew it, Ralf was in an ambulance on his way to the hospital. Once there, he slowly regained consciousness. But then the terrible news came...
Ralf was seriously ill. He appeared to have a tumor that was pressing on his brain, which had suddenly made him unwell. A long period of treatment, uncertainty, and grief followed. What kept him going at that time was the thought of Kiara. He had to, and would, survive for her. He had made her a promise years ago when they were in the bushes in South Africa: he would always be there for her. His struggle lasted seven years. And this was not easy for either of them. Treatment after treatment followed. But, as Ralf was slowly starting to recover, Kiara was getting worse...


She was miserable without her adoptive father. All she did was wait for him. She had no interest in the other caretakers, food or entertainment. She kept pacing back and forth along the fence and when she ran out of energy for this, she would lie on the lookout. She would only lose sight of the fence when she would fall asleep out of fatigue. This continued for two years and Kiara continued to deteriorate. " She barely ate, it was heartbreaking to see," says one of the caregivers. But, when Kiara almost gave up, something very special happened!
The park welcomed a new lioness. Kiara was shy at first and would only stay in the corner, but slowly, she sought her attention and began to play with her new friend. Nobody saw it coming, but the two became the best of friends and so Kiara quickly recovered. It was beautiful to see. Ralf enjoyed the photos that his colleagues would send him, whilst he recovered in and out of hospital. Kiara was finally happy again. But would she still recognize Ralf now? After seven years of different treatments, Ralf was finally well again! During the time he was in hospital, he received occasional news about Kiara. He couldn't wait to see her again and, therefore, took off for the sanctuary after the hospital discharged him. Once there, he slowly walked into the cage. "Kiara," he whispered softly. Kiara's ears pricked up immediately. She got up and made quick steps towards her old carer. Was he a friend or foe? Even Ralf, who knew her through and through, couldn't tell this time...
The lioness jumped up, and with her legs spread out and mouth open, she flew towards her adoptive father... Ralf spread his arms out and Kiara flew into them. Kiara, however, was by now a heavy lioness. She had grown a lot since they last saw each other, so Ralf was immediately knocked down by her fierce hug. He fell to the ground laughing, while Kiara licked his face. "I've never been so happy!" Ralf says afterwards, with a smile from ear to ear. Kiara was clearly happy to see him and immediately introduced Ralf to her new lioness mate.
Now, three months later, both Ralf and Kiara are doing well. Ralf visits Kiara every day to play with her and to take care of her, and Kiara has her first love back. "Now not only am I best friends with Kiara, but I have a new buddy in her lion friend, Nibal!" Ralf tells us. Ralf is convinced that the bond between them helped him through his life-threatening illness. KINDLY DROP YOUR COMMENTS BELOW!!