Vegetarian Lion
– ‘Little Tyke’
Leads Us to the Peaceful Kingdom
By San Jose News Group (Originally in English)
Earth can be a wonderful world;
Little Tyke is a lion who was rescued as a cub from a mother who was taken from her natural habitat and placed in a zoo; perhaps out of her fury at being caged and taken away from the beauty of nature, the mother destroyed each of her cubs as they were born. Luckily, when Little Tyke was born, she was saved by George and Margaret Westbeau, an animal loving couple, and taken to their farm, Hidden Valley Ranch. There Little Tyke joined the other animals including horses, cattle, chickens, peacocks, kittens and dogs. Hidden Valley Ranch, near Green River in Washington State, was run by George and Margaret Westbeau and was founded in around 1957. The inhabitants of Hidden Valley – the lion cub, lambs, dogs, cats, chickens, and deer – lived in close contact with each another. Little Tyke’s favorite and closest friend was Becky, a lamb. A photograph, depicting Little Tyke and Becky lying close together, is inspiring people to see the world in a new way.
Little Tyke refused all animal flesh since she was born. This vegetarian lion’s typical meal consisted of various grains - chosen for their protein - calcium, fats, and roughage. Margaret always cooked a few days’ supply ahead of time. At feeding time, a double handful of cooked grains along with a one-half gallon of milk supplied Little Tyke with a delicious meal. Her favorite rubber doll always had to be right next to her! Little Tyke refused to chew any bones; therefore, to strengthen her teeth and gums the caretakers would sprinkle rubber boots with perfume to attract her to chew them. According to Mr. Westbeau’s observation of the lioness, “To condition her stomach she would spend an hour at a time eating the succulent tall grass in the fields”. He accepted and fed Little Tyke as a vegetarian after he read in Genesis 1:30: “And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.” Other passages in Isaiah 11:7 and 65:25 also proved this prophecy, “The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.” Unfortunately, while spending three weeks in Hollywood for a show, Little Tyke contracted viral pneumonia, a disease that took her life a few weeks later at age 9. Her life is over, but her spirit lives on. Little Tyke reflected the love and care she was given from the very first moments of her life. The following quote from bible is about the peaceable kingdom and the harmony among beings: The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:6) This indicates that humans are in charge of nature and have a special role to play in God’s plan for the world. Jews, Christians, and Muslims—all Abrahamic religions-- are left with the biblical ideal of the Garden of Eden diet, which is based on the love and respect for all living creatures. (see Genesis 1:29, 9:2-4; Isaiah 11:6-9). God creates animals to accompany human beings. The story of Little Tyke can help humankind to realize peaceful kingdoms do exist. Our relation with animals should be noble and preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the natural biotic community. “Alternative Living” from Master can lead the world to embrace all living beings, and evolve toward our original state of compassion, peace, justice, and loving kindness. Reference: http://www.vegetarismus.ch/vegepet/tyke.htm
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