Lion Man in baby giraffe kidnap claim
Reality TV star accused of taking newborn animal from mother. But Craig Busch denies abuse, John Weekes reports.
The Lion Man is accused of kidnapping a newborn giraffe from its mother, before it was even able to stand on its own.
South African current affairs show Carte Blanche has screened photos of him taking the giraffe into captivity. But Craig Busch denied abusing animals, saying he was ‘‘sick of smear campaigns’’.
Fransisco Garcia – a worker at Busch’s Jabula Big Cat Sanctuary near Rustenburg, South Africa – took photos as the baby animal named Zenda was unloaded from a trailer.
‘‘Craig was all excited, arranged for the trailer, went to fetch the creature, brought it there to his house and he still said to me if anybody asks about the giraffe just tell them that the mother pushed it away,’’ he told the program.
‘‘And then immediately after that, he was on the phone telling the whole world he’s got himself a giraffe. The poor thing couldn’t even stand on its feet yet.
‘‘I thought it’s not right. It’s not right taking an animal from its mother.’’
A source, not named by Carte Blanche, told the program Busch nearly killed Zenda while filming a segment for his show which screens on Animal Planet.
In the segment, Busch tells the camera the animal is abandoned, and he is trying to save it to keep it safe.
The source said: ‘‘I thought Zenda on the lead was awful. They wanted to create catching a baby giraffe on film, so they dragged her down into the bush with the lead.
‘‘We spent about half a day doing this, Zenda always trying to run off – at one point she was getting so badly choked she dropped down to the ground, she wasn’t fit to raise her head. She was still breathing, but I thought she was a goner.’’
In a legal letter to the program, Busch’s lawyers said: ‘‘Our client would never abuse animals (kicking etc) as such action would jeopardise his own safety. Our client however denies he would place any of the animals under his care at risk, be it while filming or otherwise.’’
Busch’s mother Patricia Busch – who is now estranged from her son after legal battles over Zion Wildlife Park in Whangarei – said she believed large animals should not live in captivity, but her son would not harm them.
‘‘When he was a child, he was very kind to domestic cats. He was a very gentle person, so all the things that have come out since have really surprised me.’’
Busch said she still tried contacting her son, who seemed settled in South Africa.
She said she was ‘‘disillusioned’’ about Zion, which was never ‘‘really conservation work’’. ‘‘I can’t see the benefit of having any wild animal in the zoo any more. All it’s really shown me is how greedy people can be.’’
He still said to me if anybody asks about the giraffe just tell them that the mother pushed it away. Fransisco Garcia