Lion Heart: How a lifelong love of big cats led to an incredible lion rescue

LLion Heart is the bold and uplifting memoir of Cam Whitnall, a man whose life has been defined by extraordinary bonds with wildlife and a dramatic warzone rescue that brought five lions to safety in the UK. When Cam’s grandparents bought a dilapidated zoo, once known as the worst in the UK, and rescued it back to life, they also created a home for their family. Cam grew up on the grounds of the zoo, now known as Hertfordshire Zoo, in a bedroom overlooking the tiger enclosure. His childhood playground was full of endangered species from all around the world, where he and his brothers would play hide-and-seek after hours. He became very comfortable with the animals in their care, even hand-rearing a lion cub called Zara, an experience which inspired a life-long fascination with big cats. Over the years, the family business expanded as they also took on the Big Cat Sanctuary with Cam taking the helm as Director. Cam and the Sanctuary made global headlines for leading a high-risk rescue mission of five abandoned lions from war-torn Ukraine. The five lions were found in various states of shell shock and malnourishment and were likely used for illegal breeding. After ten months of dedicated effort, Cam reunited Rori, Yuna, Vanda, Amani and Lira in their forever home at the Sanctuary and gave them the freedom to walk on grass for the very first time. A momentous occasion in a lifetime dedicated to animal welfare, conservation and rescue.