L.A. Zoo animals photographed for NoHo Gallery

In an effort to educate the public about endangered species surviving in the wild, NoHo Gallery L.A., in collaboration with the L.A. Zoo, is presenting "Paws, Claws, Applause," an exhibition of animal portraits.

Black-and-white photos of various wildlife shot at the L.A. Zoo by featured photographer Charlie Morey are on display along with paintings and animal-like pieces of artwork by artists including Ildar Galyamov, Francis Gill and Harlan Peterson.

A percentage of the proceeds from the show, which runs through Aug. 29, will be donated to the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn.

For more information visit www.nohogalleryla.com.

NoHo Gallery L.A. exhibit

The story behind 'Christian the lion' hugging video unfolds

The "Christian the lion" video, which shows a young lion hugging and kissing his former caretakers in a heartwarming reunion, has become an Internet sensation, logging more than 3 million views on YouTube. It has all the right ingredients: the lion's menacing slink toward the camera, then the look of recognition that hits his face as he lunges toward the young men, not to attack, but to embrace them, with Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" playing in the background for full sentimental effect.

But now, the video is attracting even more attention because of its back story, which appears to be mostly true, The Times' Web Scout, David Sarno, points out.

The Today show has picked up on it too:

The video is the work of Anthony "Ace" Bourke and John Rendall, two Australians living in the hip Chelsea section of London in 1969. According to published reports, a friend came back from a trip to Harrods and told them that you could buy exotic animals there.

The two friends went there out of curiosity and spotted a 35-pound lion cub in a small cage. The cub had been born in a zoo and sold to the department store, which wasn’t considered that unusual back then.

Bourke and Rendall felt sorry for the cub and bought it. The store was glad to be rid of it, as the cub had broken out of its cage one night and wreaked havoc on a display of imported goatskin rugs.

To make a long story short, the two young men kept the lion cub, which they named Christian, in their living room. They became local celebrities of sorts, parading around London with him, taking him to restaurants and even playing soccer with him, according to a lengthy piece in the Daily Mail.

But as the 35-pound cub grew to 185 pounds and food bills became astronomical, they knew he would have to be released to a less urban habitat. So they arranged to take him to a wildlife refuge in Kenya. They visited him periodically for several years...

Little white bundles of lion joy

Rare white lion cubs meet the press at Safaripark in Schloss Holte-Stukenbrock in western Germany. Seven white cubs were born at the park to two mothers on June 30. While three of the cubs are being raised by their mother, Kibo, the others were refused by their mother, Mawensi. One of them died overnight Monday; the remaining three will be raised by the park's animal keepers.

Photo: Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Lion kings, Vegas-style

Big names in Las Vegas this summer you may already know: Cher, Bette, Elton, and the Pussycat Dolls.

But not to be missed is a new set of divas in the Vegas mix: the 38 lions at the free Lion Habitat at the MGM Grand. They don't really have to show up for work, get to eat steaks whenever they want and even have their own 401(k) plans, writes Terry Gardner in in The Times' Travel section:

Unlike a zoo, where lions seem captive behind bars, the soundproof glass walls and floors of the habitat allow us to see lions hanging out, interacting with one another and their human handlers -- holding us captive.

"The hardest part was to teach them to walk on the glass floors in the habitat," says Keith Evans, their owner.

In the last nine years, three to five lions have been on view daily at the habitat. Some lions work once a week; others appear more often. Like rock stars, these cats have fans. Evans has received e-mails from visitors who want to find out when certain lions will appear, hoping their children will get to watch lion cubs mature.

The day starts at 7 a.m. for the lions that are going to be displayed at the habitat that morning. If a lion doesn't want to go, Evans sends an alternate: "We will not force a cat."

The lions appear from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily in two shifts. For each shift, two lions are loaded in transport cages, taken into the building, then showered, shampooed and blown dry.

And we humans have it so easy at the top of the food chain.

-- Francisco Vara-Orta

Photo: MGM

Lioness attacks keeper at Detroit zoo*

**5/26/08: 10 a.m.: In the meantime, the Chicago Tribune reports that a zoo keeper in South Bend, Indiana, was attacked by a leopard Saturday as she cleaned the big cat's holding area. Her injuries were not serious.

In case you wonder why we call them wild animals, check out some news from the Detroit Free Press:

In Katie's 15 years at the Detroit Zoo, the lioness has never been in close contact with her keepers thanks to a pulley system that remotely ushers the big cats from outside to their indoor habitat.

But for an unknown reason, the 16-year-old lioness came too close to her handler Saturday.

Katie scratched and bit her keeper shortly after the zoo closed at 5 p.m. The injured keeper, Brett Kipley, who's in his 20s and has worked at the zoo for a couple years, was taken to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak for treatment of his injuries, which did not require surgery. After receiving stitches, he was scheduled to stay overnight at the hospital, zoo spokeswoman Patricia Mills Janeway told the Free Press.

Zoo officials said they were perplexed by the situation. "We don't know what happened to allow the keeper and her in the same space at the same time," said Scott Carter, the zoo's director of conservation and animal welfare. "We will be investigating what exactly happened."

To watch an interview with Scott Carter, check out station WXYZ.

-- Alice Short