Animal Humor

The Day Sampson the Lion Ran Amuck in the Pet Store

Who keeps a lion for a pet, anyway?

What are the odds of running into a real lion? This is a true story as it happened to my cousin while working at a pet store, and had one of his worst fears come true.

Summer jobs

Before we graduated high school, my cousin Tommy and I decided to work during the summer and on weekends to earn money for our first cars. Due to our vastly different personalities, we each ended up choosing something quite different.

I sought a job that required physical activity and hands-on work, while my cousin, who is more of a laid-back, go-at-his-own-pace type of guy, found the perfect job at a nearby exotic pet store.

He always loved animals and enjoyed communicating with them. Even the store owner’s pet lion didn’t escape his friendly chatter as he passed by his cage.

Although Tommy’s responsibilities did not include taking care of the more dangerous animals and limiting his exposure to them, he never missed an opportunity to be friendly to them all.

He particularly loved working on Sundays with the store closed as he could take his time going about his chores, which included checking that the utilities were working, making sure animals were alive and well, filling water bowls if needed, and preparing the store to open Monday morning.

Not being old enough to drive yet, his mom, who supported his efforts to save for a car, would bring him to the store, drop him off out front, and watch him enter safely. Then she’d shop or run errands while waiting for Tommy’s call for a pick-up.

Feeling perfectly safe alone in the store, most Sundays went smoothly without incident.

Not a normal day

One Sunday, after Tommy let himself in and locked the door behind him as he had done numerous times before, everything seemed normal. The usual noises of chirping birds, squealing pigs, and a few noisy monkeys, greeted him as always.

The store was warm and had the familiar smells of pine bedding, leftover food, and animal waste. Nothing out of the ordinary.

He found a few animals in need of more water. While in the process of refilling a water dish in an open cage, he became aware of a large figure lurking behind him. At first, he assumed the store’s owner had come in as no one else had a key.

However, the individual continued to stand silently behind him, causing Tommy’s thoughts to race wildly. He began to worry that he may have forgotten to lock the door and a burglar had followed him inside.

He realized the unknown presence was not there to make friends, and he needed to confront them. Tommy turned around slowly and apprehensively, preparing to face the truth.

To his surprise, he found himself face-to-face with the store’s pet male lion, Sampson. The lion was so close, Tommy could smell his breath, and he appeared much larger than when he was locked up.

Luring a big cat back to his cage

His heart started pounding, and he felt weak in his knees. He went into full alarm stage of the fight-or-flight response, but he managed to regain composure and approach the situation with logic.

The lion knew him, and was well-fed. Still he hoped the animal would not see him as a threat or potential prey.

Carefully, Tommy, although momentarily stunned, slowly stood up straight and spoke to the lion in a quiet voice, “Sampson, go back in your cage.” At first, the lion remained motionless and simply stared at him.

Tommy remained calm and continued to communicate with the animal, though he had never seen him out of his cage, much less been alone with him and standing only a few feet away.

While still keeping a steady, firm tone in his voice and walking slowly past the lion, he repeated, “C’mon Sampson, follow me.” After what seemed like an eternity, the lion eventually started to walk behind him.

Tommy managed to lead the lion back into its cage and lock him up again. The experience left him in awe — after all, it was a large and powerful lion, and animals are unpredictable.

After Sampson’s safe containment, the reality of his unwitting encounter set in, and Tommy’s calm turned into profuse sweating. He told us afterward that he had lost some bladder control.

Poor Tommy. He called his mom from the store’s phone to pick him up as quickly as she could get there, not even finishing his shift.

I quit!

In his state of trauma, Tommy called the store owner to recount the incident and subsequently decided to quit his job.

The store owner wholeheartedly apologized, explaining that he had been there the night before and had forgotten to secure the lion after letting it roam for a while, which he normally did when alone in the store.

The lion had spent the entire night wandering around until it encountered Tommy. I’m sure this poor old lion felt just as glad to return to his cage as my cousin was to put him there, and he had no thoughts of making a meal out of my cousin.

Having given it more thought, my cousin returned to work; after all, he did love working with animals, and the lion never acted aggressively toward him.

Nevertheless, during the remainder of his time at the pet shop, each time he passed by Sampson’s cage, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the lion was smirking at him.

Nature Prompt — Big Cats

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