Star file photo
Don't plan on seeing mountain lions doing this in the wild.
By Peggy Larson
SPECIAL TO THE STAR

A mountain lion named George? Yes, four lions named George L. Mountainlion have lived at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

The first George arrived there in 1953 when the museum was only 6 months old. He had been raised by people in California and was very friendly. George purred - very loudly. He liked to have his ears and chin scratched, and when someone George knew, such as the people who fed and cared for him, called out his name he'd answer with an excited, "Yap, yap, yap!"

George especially liked to be taken walking on a leash around the museum grounds, and visitors were excited when they were allowed to pet him. George liked children. When a group of them stood in front of his enclosure, he would turn somersaults! Taking the end of his tail or a hind foot in his mouth, he would roll into a ball and turn one somersault after another - head over tail, head over tail!

When George died, he was buried on the grounds. Today his gravestone, engraved with a poem, is mounted in the History Patio near the restaurant.

The second lion, George II, also was friendly toward people and could be taken out for walks. The San Diego Zoo gave George III to the museum. A family raised George IV on a ranch near Douglas. Georgette and Honey, who was George IV's sister, were female lions at the museum. In 1971 both had babies, the first to be born at the museum.

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