By Annette Williams - Ramona Home Journal • Thu, Mar 01, 2012
International recording artist Leona Lewis came to town Feb. 13 for a special performance, happily sharing the spotlight with a rather wild guest of honor: Samson the African lion.
Lewis sang to Samson for his 11th birthday celebration at the Fund for Animals Wildlife Center in Ramona, where he resides. As a three-month-old cub, Samson was rescued from the exotic pet trade in Los Angeles.
Since the lion’s actual birthday is on Valentine’s Day, Samson was presented with a heart piñata stuffed with treats, hay and clove sprigs, made by staff member Kim Spall. Gifts of a stuffed mouse and heart-shaped card were sprayed with clove oil, his favorite scent, and presented to him.
Lewis, a winner of the British version of "X-Factor” and three-time Grammy Award nominee, is an animal advocacy spokesperson for The Humane Society of the United States, which owns the wildlife center.
