Christian the lion (12 August 1969 – ?) was a lion born in captivity and purchased by Australian John Rendall and Anthony “Ace” Bourke from Harrods department store in London in 1969.
Christian was originally acquired by Harrods from the now-defunct zoo park in Ilfracombe. Rendall and Bourke purchased Christian for 250 guineas (£262.10s.[2] in pre-decimal currency).[citation needed]
Rendall and Bourke, [3] along with their friends Jennifer Mary Taylor and Unity Jones, cared for the lion where they lived in London until he was a year old. As he got larger, the men moved Christian to their furniture store—coincidentally named Sophistocat—where living quarters in the basement were set aside for him. Rendall and Bourke obtained permission from a local minister to exercise Christian at the Moravian church graveyard just off the King’s Road and Milman’s Street, SW10; and the men also took the lion on day trips to the seaside.
Times sure have changed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_the_lion