Zookeepers paused, unsure whether to step in. The lion wasn’t aggressive—if anything, it looked comforted. One keeper quickly recognized the behavior.
Just weeks before, the lion had lost its only cub to illness. Since then, it had been withdrawn, depressed, and barely eating. Staff had grown deeply concerned.
Now, for the first time in days, the lion was calm, engaged, and affectionate—all because of a lost shiba inu puppy that had wandered into its space.