Here's an intriguing story coming out of the hurricane "Ike" aftermath. The owner of a lion from a Texas zoo was trying to get his animal to safety through rising water levels. Realizing that they were in grave danger as the water continued to rise, he diverted from his planned route and happened upon a church where people were taking refuge. He somehow convinced them that he and the lion were safe, and they agreed to help him. According to the story, they actually helped him guide the full grown lion through a couple of feet of water and locked him in the sanctuary until rescuers came by the next morning. Apparently, even though the water level rose to over four feet, the lion reportedly remained calm. Here's what the lions owner had to say about the experience:
"They worked pretty well together, actually [speaking of the people and the lion]," said the lion's owner, Michael Ray Kujawa. "When you have to swim, the lion doesn't care about eating nobody."
Thanks kindly Mr Kujawa, but I don't know if that 'rousing' commendation would have been sufficient for me. It's amazing how resilient people are in the face of danger. Ordinarily, most of these people wouldn't come within a hundred yards of a lion that wasn't securely caged, yet, here they are voluntarily spending the night with a lion in a church sanctuary. I don't know when the lion was last fed, but I do know that even the greatest lion trainers have been 'eaten' by their lions on occasion. I guess the truth is, when our backs are against the wall, survival and the preservation of life is instinctive, even if it's preserving the life of a lion that "doesn't care about eating nobody." Well done and kudos to you wonderful, resilient Texans who not only had to survive Ike, but potentially being dinner for a lion. 
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