To Walk with Lions

Strange how things happen...

Unplanned... By accident.

I'd been hanging around the coast of east Africa...

Bit of work in Lamu, a lot of surfing in Malindi...

Until the money ran out, as it always does.

Mine was an aimless, self-indulgent,

And undisciplined life.

I highly recommend it.

I accepted a job as a safari driver

In the interior near Garisa.

Steady work, decent pay,

Hot and cold running tourists, girls I hoped.

But it was not to be.

Thank you, William.

See you next month.

He said... "Terence, hello. How are you, how's George?"

He said, "No, I'll see the photographs when we get back to Germany."

William, a bottle of Red Label, please.

Are you Johnny Maxwell?

I might be.

Might?

Well, I am Tony Fitzjohn.

You got a job for me driving your next safari.

I've been waiting all day.

Yes.

I'm afraid the job's gone.

You were supposed to be here yesterday.

Listen, I said I was coming.

I told you that, right?

I hire reliable men.

When I say 12:00 noon, I don't mean the next day.

What the hell are you talking about, man?

I spent my last 20 shillings

Coming up to this shithole town

For your asshole job.

Well, that's just the point.

It's not an "asshole job".

But if it were an asshole job,

You'd fit the bill.

Thank you.

Hey! Hey, wait!

- Hey, gimme a lift! - Jump on!

Thanks.

Don't suppose you're headed for Mombasa, mate?

Other way.

Thought I had a job back there, but...

By the way, my name's Terence.

I'm Tony... Tony Fitzjohn.

Going to my brother's place.

He might have work.

There's a recent opening.

Yeah?

I've got nothing to lose.

Somalis?

Shifta bandits.

Deserters from the wars up north.

It's rare to see them this far south.

I've got a man to replace Stanley.

His name's Fitzjohn.

Hello.

Adamson.

George Adamson.

Welcome to Kora.

Arethi...

One more for dinner.

So...

What exactly is it you do out here?

That is what I do.

My lions.

A wild lion.

It's too soon.

It's too soon.

Bloody lions.

We're eating dinner, for heaven's sake.

I tell you, on the day when they finally eat George,

And I take over this place,

We're going to get rid of every blessed lion.

Then I'll bring in elephants.

The elephant.

Now there is an animal.

Come on. Come on, boy.

Well done.

You did well.

You fought well.

You were very, very brave.

You know, Terence,

He fought the wild lions face to face.

Yes.

That's when we knew that Elsa was ready to be released.

Elsa? Elsa the lion?

Lioness, actually.

Of course, born free's George Adamson.

And your wife...

Joy.

Elsa was the first lion that we released,

And then we released all the lions from the film.

Couldn't bear to send them back to zoos or circuses.

And then people began to send them to us

From all over the world.

What we do here is we prepare them

To go back into the wild.

He was sent to us a little cub.

Well, I don't know what use I can be here.

We'll have to wait and see.

In the meantime, 100 shillings a day,

Plus room and board.

Okay?

I'm coming.

I've always tried to be open

To what fate brings along,

And it turned out to be a pretty good policy.

So I took the job with the two crazy old brothers,

Stuck out there in the middle of the bush,

Learning more than I ever wanted to know

About their daily habits.

Good boy.

George had rehabilitated more than 30 lions

Born in captivity.

He taught them how to survive as wild animals...

To live as they were meant to.

That's a boy. The kudu tracks.

He found the scent.

Kudu, kudu.

Good boy. Kudu, kudu.

Look, look. Tracks here.

It's kudu.

Tracks here. It's nice, it's juicy.

Two barrels in the morning

Does it for the day.

You know, cooking,

Showers... That sort of thing.

You can swim in the river,

But you want to keep an eye open.

Yeah, right.

Most mornings, we haul some meat

Up to certain spots to feed the lions.

I'll come with you at the beginning

Until they get to know you.

Look, George...

Don't count on me staying.

I mean, I just need to earn a few bob.

Then I'll be on my way.

Easy now.

Pussycat.

Yeah.

You can smell your friend, can't you?

Shit.

I strongly suggest

That you move back...

Very slowly.

Do not turn away from him.

Go back very slowly.

One step at a time

Towards the rover.

Jesus!

George!

Bad boy!

Come on! Bad boy!

George!

Come on, come on, down! Down, down!

Jesus christ, George, get him off!

That was not a very good idea.

You must never run.

Never.

It is better that you charge a lion

Than to run.

Nine out of ten will back off.

Right. And what about the tenth?

Then you end up like Stanley.

Stanley?

The man you replaced.

What are you saying?

A lion attacked him?

Killed him?

Yeah.

When was this?

Last week.

Jesus christ!

Crazy old bastard.

What the hell do you think you're doing?!

Stuck up here in the middle of nowhere,

Using people as lion fodder.

Right. That's it. I'm leaving.

Betachi will drive you back first thing in the morning.

Yeah, yeah. Too right he will.

I hope you find some other idiot to be a cat's dinner.

Smart lad.

I want to answer your question.

What question?

Today, you...

I think you phrased it...

"What the hell are you doing here?"

My favorite quote from the Koran begins:

"There's no kind of beast on Earth, nor fowl

that flyeth with its wings,

but the same is like unto you.

And unto the lord you shall all be gathered...

and anyone who does not heed these words

"is both deaf and dumb."

Lions are our spiritual brothers.