Haile Selassie – Lion
In Ethiopia, a lion was usually not a lion. A lion represented the strength and pride of its people. Emperor Haile Selassie followed up on that tradition and owned what he called Royal lions – Mochuria and Mollua. These royal lions bore another which has become a symbol of the late emperor.
Named Challa, this pet is tagged the “Imperial Majesty, the king of the jungle”.
Emperor Selassie maintained his practice of keeping pet lions. This practice is said to date thousands of years back to the Axumite period.
His love for lions is synonymous with the self-acclaimed name, “The Lion of Judah”.
The descendants of the Royal Lions currently live in the Addis Ababa zoo.
