Cameron The Goofy Lion Loves His Brand New Toy

Whether you love dogs, cats, gerbils, or birds, you’re sure to get a kick out of this lovable lion named Cameron playing with his toy! We usually associate playful behavior with the domestic cats that many have as pets in their homes, but it’s sometimes forgotten that a similar playfulness can be found in big cats too.

Cameron was born in a questionable roadside zoo in 2000 and rescued from it a few years later in 2004. Big Cat Rescue reported that before he was rescued he had lost a whopping 200lbs, but now he lives a happy and healthy live in a New Hampshire zoo. Cameron lives there with his best friend, a white tigress named Zabu.

Cameron and Zabu live in a large enclosure in the zoo that was custom built for them. The odd couple has been together since their birth and subsequent rescue, and it’s clear from watching them together that they’re inseparable.

In the original zoo that the two were born into, it’s presumed that Cameron and Zabu were meant to be crossbred to produce liger cubs. Since it was illegal to breed and sell lions or tigers individually, zookeepers no doubt meant to take advantage of a loophole that allowed for the liger children of a lion and tiger to be sold.

Since their rescue, Zabu has been spayed to prevent any accidental ligers from being bred and born into captivity. Cameron was also recently neutered to limit his possessiveness of Zabu and his aggressive behavior in general.

Big Cat Rescue commented that they either had to separate Cameron and Zabu or neuter him. They couldn’t bear to separate the two best friends so it was decided that neutering Cameron was the lesser of two evils.

Despite Cameron losing his mane due to the neutering, he’s happier than ever! His personality mellowed considerably, not to mention it’s a lot cooler for him in the hot Florida summers. As sad as it was that Cameron lost his mane, it was clearly well worth it in order to still be close to his BFF Zabu.

Cameron’s happiness also might have something to do with his new toy, which he can be seen playing with in the YouTube video shared at the end of this article. The footage is absolutely adorable and you won’t want to miss it!

In the video we see Cameron taking his new toy out for a whirl, and the results are priceless! As much as he loves his bright yellow donut toy, he’s not exactly what you would call gentle with it. He accidentally gouged the last one so it was unusable, but the toy was recently replaced with a new one.

If you want to check out Cameron’s carefree playtime as well as a few shots of Zabu, be sure to check out the YouTube video shared below. Don’t forget to share the video with other cat fanatics and animal lovers alike!