EnvironmentNewsPhotographyThe Lion Loves Bath Time smytu1996December 11, 20104min1350African soap opera: Zien the lion thinks bathtime is a roaring success While most cats notoriously hate water Zien the fussy lion is so particular about being clean he loves nothing more than getting lathered up with British big cat handler Alex Larenty. Alex has formed such a close bond with the lions in his care that he fearlessly grooms the top predators as if they were visitors to a spa. And Zien is his most frequent visitor – rushing over for a good pampering with Alex whenever he can. The giant cat looks every bit the King of the Jungle – scrubbing up well in these bath time pictures taken last week at the Lion Park near Johannesburg, South Africa. Showing off in a watering hole at his home, Zien leaps into the air as 50-year-old Alex, who comes from Chipping Norton, rewards him with a meaty treat. The three-year-old male lion even shakes his coat just like a dog as Alex washes the soap off with a bucketload of water. ‘He loves the water and makes a beeline to his watering hole whenever he can,’ said Alex. ‘Most lions would avoid water, but Zien has become such a fusspot he’ll even take his food to the water and gives the meat a wash before he gobbles it up. Post Views: 135
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