Craig Busch

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Craig Busch, nicknamed "the Lion Man", is a New Zealand big cat expert and television personality.

1 Early life
2 Wildlife preservation
3 Relationship with big cats
4 Controversy
5 References

[edit] Early life

Craig spent his early life in Utah, in a mountainous region populated with wild cougars. On developing a friendship with one of these cougars, Craig realised that interacting with big cats was his mission in life. He later spent time in Hollywood as an animal handler for studios and wealthy individuals.

[edit] Wildlife preservation

Craig later moved to new Zealand, taking four white tigers he had bought from owners in America, ensuring none were related in order to provide a viable breeding population. Craig later built the Zion Wildlife Gardens in New Zealand, and is now active in the preservation of several endangered big cat species that are classified as extinct or extremely endangered in the wild. His activities featured in a New Zealand television documentary The Lion Man, one of the most successful New Zealand television series^[1].

Craig aims to breed these species in an attempt to increase their number, assisted by exchange programs with other groups such as Global Tiger Patrol^[2]. Efforts include the delivery of two white tiger cubs he bred to Ed Hearns' game park in South Africa.

[edit] Relationship with big cats

Busch has an evidently close relationship with several tame lions hand reared by the park, enabling close interaction with these animals. One male Barbary lion, 'Zion' born in 1999, is Craig's favourite animal, and apparently the tamest Barbary lion in the world^[2].

Craig has been badly mauled twice by a lion, the worst occurring when he was unaware a lion was pregnant, and hence more unpredictable. During the attack, the lion bit a hand sized chunk of flesh from Craig's midriff.

[edit] Controversy

Craig had a previous conviction in 1991 for assaulting a female, for which he received a periodic detention. In 2005, Busch was convicted for assaulting his former partner, Karen Greybrook, who received a lumbar fracture, bruising and a cut head during the assault^[1], which occurred when Busch discovered Greybrook in bed with another couple in January 2005^[3], who stated things were not as they seemed^[4]. In May 2005, Busch plead guilty to two charges of assault, and six other charges were dropped^[3], and he was ordered to pay Karen $8,000 in reparations, but received no other sanctions^[1].

The pair used to work on the park together before they split and featured in the first two series of the Lion Man program. Despite the controversy surrounding Craig, the New Zealand public broadcaster decided to purchase the third series, citing the popularity and public interest in the show's subject matter^[1]. Karen and her assistant Herm's subsequent absence in the program was described in the narration as being due to a "disagreement".