“It was stupid beyond belief,” admitted Melanie Griffith, finally who as a teenager had her own pet lion. Her mother, Tippi Hendren, and stepfather, Noel Marshall, did a film about big cats after a trip to Africa. An animal trainer, for whatever reason, had encouraged them to live with a lion just to get a better idea of what they’re like, so they invited Neil, a male lion, into their home.
After Neil, the family went on to adopt numerous big cats which resulted after in a series of serious injuries.
Now 57 years old, Melanie has learned from the experience and still runs a sanctuary, California’s Shambala Preserve, for 32 big cats. She is an outspoken critic of keeping big cats as pets, which believe it or not, is still a legal practice in much of the United States.
These amazing photos documented Griffith and Neil’s time together.
