the unlikely love story started in swinging london in 1969 when our two heroes went shopping at harod'sit was incredible to see these creatures in such a tiny cage. >> we had wanted to rescue them from the situation and we thought it would be an adventure. >> everyone could see that we really loved him. he really loved us. >> eventually the lion became too big, so john and ace took christian to africa and turned hem over to conservationist george adamson. and returned him to the wild. about a year later they went back to look for christian and found that the magic was still there. >> he comes closer and closer and closer and then you can see that click of recognition. we called him, and that's when he took off. and he ran towards us with such excitement. the exyou know rans is what surprised everyone. the euphoria of that moment. there was the most beautiful sort of connection between human and animals. >> the moment we saw him, we knew there was no reason to be frightened at all. >> it predated the viral medium by nearly 40 years, but this love story transcended time and species and te