Professor Ronald Smith had been studying Lions for years, however this lion was different. Gama was a large male lion with a scar mark across his left eye. Old age had left his bones brittle and with hints of grey in his hair. Gama was wise, and when Professor Smith gazed into his glistening eyes, he was shown many tales, the Tales of Gama...

June 12th, 1940

     Gama was born during a chaotic time in the 20th century. Humans were fighting a war that transformed peaceful areas into barren landscapes. With battles raging here and there leaving their scar on the Earth in the form of fires and destruction.

     Gama was introduced to these scars very early in his life while he was still a cub. This first scar was a result of one encounter in Gama’s life that would not only leave him physically scarred, but also emotionally scarred.

August 20th, 1940

     Gama was very young when he was thrown in the middle of the chaos known as war. His pack had been hunting when it stumbled into the crosshairs of the bullets of man.

     As Gama heard the sounds of bullets whizzing through the air, he witnessed his fellow pack mates fall to the ground, their bodies sprawled out in pools of blood. He also witnessed men succumb to death just as his packmates were during the skirmish. He watched as the two groups of men continued to fire.

     Eventually one side prevailed, and sent the other side running in terror, as they tried to evade the advancing side. That is when the victorious men encountered the remaining lions of the pack. Just as they were about to kill what they called “beasts,” a young British officer commanded the other men to stand down. The soldiers obliged and the young officer slowly walked over to Gama, and inspected the cubs injuries. He had a gash over his left eye which was a result of shrapnel skimming his face. The young officer quickly noted this in his journal, and he then ordered his soldiers to move out, leaving Gama and his remaining pack mates to escape with their lives.

     Gama continued to hunt with his pack, and was eventually crowned leader of the pack and king of the hunt. Known to be ferocious, he partook in many important hunts. Through these hunts and other life experiences he became wise, and was feared by his enemies, but loved by his fellow members of the pack.

10 Years Later

     A middle aged man approached Gama, who stood still, curious about who this outsider was. The man took out a journal, which read Ronald Smith’s Journal on the cover, and then looked at Gama’s face. The man started to talk, “I knew I would find you! Ever since the war ended, I decided that I would study lions, and find the lion I encountered during the war.”

     Gama could not understand the man’s language, but he remembered the man’s voice, and realized that he was the man who had spared his life many years back.

The man reached into his bag, and grabbed a small plastic tag. He reached towards Gama's ear and applied the tag, slightly piercing Gama's ear. “I hope that this will allow me to keep an eye on you. I need to protect you, because you're a very special lion. I owe you with getting me interested in biology, and I wouldn't be a successful biologist without you,” said the man. “You need a name. How about we name you after the skirmish we both fought in? Let's call you Gama!” The man smiled and then turned. As he drove away in his Jeep, he glanced back and said, “I hope to see you again, Gama!”

Present Day

     Professor Ronald Smith watched as his friend, Gama, slowly passed away. Although he was sad, he was proud that he had helped this scarred, yet special lion, live a long and great life. Professor Smith knew that Gama’s story would always live on as a story of prevalence and survival of one lion and his pack stuck in between a war that would go down in history.