Three years ago, we introduced you to an extraordinary friendship between a man and a lioness, Val (short for Valentin) and Sirga. Today, their bond is still going strong, and as Val previously disclosed: "I will continue to be by her side and to fight for the survival of her wild relatives for as long as I live."
Valentin Gruener is a dedicated wildlife enthusiast, and he has co-founded the Modisa wildlife project. As they share on the website: "Modisa, meaning 'shepherd or guardian' in the local language of Setswana, reflects our mission: advocating for wildlife and their habitats. We are striving for a sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyle that benefits wildlife and people alike."
Sirga became a part of Modisa after she was abandoned as a 10-day-old cub in a problem predator facility and has been under the supervision of Valentin ever since.
Meet Valentin, a man who stepped in to care for a lioness cub named Sirga when her mother refused to feed her 13 years ago
Image credits: sirgathelioness
In an interview with Bored Panda, Valentin shared with us more about his background story.
“I was born and grew up in Germany, I came to Africa when I was 20 and wanted to become a veterinarian originally. I then learned here that I am much more interested in the ecosystem as a whole than the individual animals and decided to move to Botswana. I ended up doing a ranger course, my professional guide's education as well as a tracking (as in reading animal tracks in the bush) education."
Previously, Valentin also shared Sirga's story: “Sirga the lioness was born on February 25, 2012, to wild lions captured after being identified as ‘problem animals’ in livestock areas who were held and cared for at the property of Grassland Bushman Lodge grounds, near Ghanzi, in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana, owned by Willie de Graaff, a cattle rancher and wildlife enthusiast.”
Valentin’s dedication to Sirga forged a deep bond between them, and three years ago, their heartwarming hugs captured the world’s attention, going viral across the internet
Image credits: sirgathelioness
Lats time, Valentin also told us about their friendship: “I’ve always loved animals but Sirga changed my life forever. Being responsible for her is still teaching me on a daily basis what it means to really be there for another being."
Image credits: sirgathelioness
Image credits: sirgathelioness
When Valentin was asked about the changes since the previous post, he responded: “In the last 3 years my life has changed in so many ways.”
Valentin shared: “Things have been going viral on social media"
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"So much that my plan to fund our work has entirely shifted from our eco-tourism operation to earning the funds from our online community of fans and followers”
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Valentin continued: “Mostly this is currently done via our Patreon page. I am directly getting involved into the preservation of some of the largest natural landscapes in the world which is more than I ever dreamed of. Sirga has been living free (under supervision) in a reserve set up especially for her. She is hunting most of her own prey now - but lately, wild lions are threatening her for her territory and she has to spend time at home again because they are trying to fight her, and it's 7 against one. Exciting times for us all.”
“PS: I also own an aircraft now which has made life in this remote wilderness so much easier and we can monitor wildlife so much better.”
Image credits: sirgathelioness
Valentin is a co-founder of Modisa, a wildlife conservation project dedicated to protecting wildlife and their habitats
Image credits: sirgathelioness
Modisa manages a private wildlife sanctuary in the Kalahari Desert, where their mission is to exemplify sustainable conservation and connection
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"I started my company, called Modisa Wildlife Project (Modisa meaning shepherd or guardian in Setswana), in 2010 and since then it has evolved into the operation we are running today on a 7000 ha private wildlife area in the Kalahari that I have set up from scratch. We run a small eco-tourism camp and research base. Currently, we focus on establishing a large community outreach program as well.”
Image credits: sirgathelioness
That is where Sirga lives and though she spends a lot of time with Valentin, the lioness is not a house pet, she lives freely and was never removed from her natural habitat
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Valentin shared the biggest misconception about him and Sirga. “It’s that people tend to think I am keeping her as a pet. Most people don't see that she is actually as free as she can be given her circumstances."
You might say Valentin moved into Sirga’s habitat instead
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"Also, I never removed her from her natural habitat, but I have moved myself into hers. She can hunt her own food and meet wild lions. I also never wanted her because I wanted a lion, she needed help and I happened to be there back then.
Sirga and her existence have affected all of my life in the past 12 years. I would never be where I am now without her.”
Sirga and her existence have affected all of my life in the past 12 years. I would never be where I am now without her.”
Image credits: sirgathelioness
We were also curious about Sirga's love life. Valentin commented: “Sirga meets other lions regularly but it usually ends up in fighting. It gets so bad that we have to worry about her life and keep her in her 1ha large home enclosure for safety reasons. I would love for her to find a partner of her own species but of course, it's up to her and we never know what the future brings.”
Image credits: sirgathelioness
Valentin shared, “Sirga has given me the strength to persevere and has brought much-needed attention to her ecosystem"
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"This exposure could provide us with a real opportunity to make a significant impact”
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Valentin continued: “I see her quickly almost every day, but I try to spend one entire day per week outside in the bush with her.”
However, Valentin also added: “I would, of course, like people to know that lions are not pets and that Sirga was rescued because she would have otherwise passed away. And that she is the commitment of my lifetime, not just something I wanted to do just to have done it. No lion or other wild animal should be kept captive for our own entertainment. The only place they belong is free in their natural habitat.”
Image credits: sirgathelioness
Valentin shared what he hopes for audiences to take away from their story: “I just hope the audience can see that lions are not just beasts but capable of showing emotion and love.”
“I hope Sirga’s story can turn into a real conservation success for the ecosystem she comes from”
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“What we need for that currently is more people supporting us and the only tool to reach them currently is the story of Sirga. If we can grow our Patreon page by about 10 times what it is doing now, we will be able to truly change life for so many of Sirga's wild relatives, it's just incredible to think of that potential and we are on a good road to get there. That would really give Sirga's existence so much meaning, even long past her own lifetime.”
Image credits: sirgathelioness