This Thursday Seven screens Martin Clunes and A Lion Called Mugie
Martin Clunes joins a mission set to make wildlife history by returning endangered lions to a remote part of Kenya in the new documentary,
It is 25 years since lions roamed in the Kora National Reserve where legendary conservationist George Adamson set up a camp to rescue lions and release them back into the wild. The heartbreaking but successful story of rescuing orphaned cub Elsa became internationally famous in the blockbuster film Born Free, based on the iconic book written by George’s wife Joy.
Tony Fitzjohn worked closely with George, and continues to work in wildlife conservation. He has lovingly rebuilt George’s original camp in the Kora National Reserve, abandoned after he was murdered by Somali bandits in 1989. Tony picks up where he and George left off all those years ago, with the aim of releasing captive and orphaned lions back into the wild with the support of the Kenya Wildlife Service.
Martin Clunes has had a close friendship with Tony since they met 20 years ago when they released Nina, a zoo elephant, back into the wild. In this documentary Martin travels to Kenya to visit Tony and to meet his first lion cub to be brought to the Kora camp for 25 years.
Mugie, the orphaned lion cub was found when he was just three weeks old, washed up on a riverbank after a flash flood. Martin travels with Tony to collect Mugie and take him back to Kora, the first lion in the camp for 25 years.
8 PM Thursday on Seven
