Rocky's Big Adventure

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For Immediate Release

Rocky's Big Adventure

TENNESSEE, NASHVILLE, May. 3 -/E-Wire/-- There are several ways for a lion to travel around the world, but Rocky is going to circle the globe mailed in a cardboard box! Maybe not the 500 pound Rocky at Tiger Touch in Fallon, Nevada, but his little beanie baby namesakeâ¦.

The real Rocky was rescued from an abusive owner by John and Barbara Williamson of Tiger Touch. The first few months of his life had been spent in a covered pit with scarcely enough room to turn around. After a lot of love and care from the Williamsons, Rocky managed to survive and thrive, having what many people would call the perfect happy ending. But that was only the beginning. He got a mate named Nala who was also rescued from an unhappy situation, and the two lions quickly became best buddies. Things were really looking up for Rocky and Nala! This is where we should say "And they were happy forever after," but there's moreâ¦.

Here's where the story gets unbelievable. Someone came to visit Rocky and Nala and quickly spotted characteristics of the Barbary Lion of North Africa, which supposedly went extinct in 1922! In recent years, 60 such lions who are mostly or completely Barbary Lion stock turned up in a few zoo collections around the world. Many people have tried to obtain true Barbary Lions, but an animal-loving couple in the Nevada desert trying to help a couple of unlucky cats wound up with a pair by chance! It seems in this Cinderella story, against all odds, the lions really are a prince and princess! They won't have a kingdom of their own, but their cubs may. The Government of Morocco has set aside a national park in a wild part of the Barbary's original range. Cubs from these 60 lions will be taught survival skills and allowed to reclaim their once splendid kingdom. Forget cloning dinosaurs from insects in amberâwe are talking real science to returning a real and special part of our natural heritage to its rightful place. But this takes money.

The story of Rocky and Nala and their race has been told on a website at http://rocky-nala-fanclub.org for young people of all ages. Here you'll find a simple, heartfelt account of the destruction of the Kingdom of the Barbaries by the Roman Empire (who killed them in the arena) and later the European hunters (who turned them into trophies.) We see how against all odds the Barbary, the largest lion ever, has a chance at new life. It is a sad story in places, but it ends on a wonderful note of hope. We invite people to be part of that hope. We invite people to make a difference for two special cats and their ancient race.

A project as grand as this needed a suitable kickoff. That's when "Little Rocky" came into being. John and Barbara Williamson, and the man responsible for "Rocky' Big Adventure," Board Chairman John Burkitt, all got busy making calls and emails around the world looking for hosts for Rocky. Two suggestions we did not take seriously were sending the little guy to the South Pole and the International Space Station. Sorry, Dennis Tito, you saw space but you won't see Rocky!

Hosts had very simple guidelines to follow. Photograph Rocky in front of a local landmark, write a short account of all the fun things he did while he was in your town, and send him along to the next destination. The photos and stories appear at Rocky's "Mission Control" on the website. Just select "Rocky's Big Adventure" from http://rocky-nala-fanclub.org and check out the world map! Will he learn to Samba in Brazil? Will he try Sauerkraut in Germany? Will he cramp if he tries the Cossack Dance in Russia? He's so excited he can hardly sleep! Namibia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, and many other exotic locations lie aheadâ¦.he's going to be one busy lion! Hey cat, it's time to start licking stamps!

http://rocky-nala-fanclub.org

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