Tag Archives: Lions

Rockstar Photographers: Joseph Scherschel & Blondie The Lion

1 Comment

Photographer Joseph Scherschel took these photos of Blondie the pet lion for Life Magazine in 1955. Blondie was indeed a family pet, belonging to Mr. Charles Hipp of Texas. Mr. Hipp bought the lion from the Dallas zoo in 1953 when she was a 12-week-old cub.

By the time the Life article appeared, Blondie was a familiar sight in Graham, Texas. She travelled in their station wagon, boated with the Hipp’s on Possum Kingdom Lake and even shared their bathtub.

Blondie never caused any problems for Mr. Hipp, but another of his pets sure did. A leopard named Randy mauled his then two-and-a-half-year-old grandson Charles “Bubba” Hipp at his grandfather’s house in Graham in 1962. The boy recovered, but still bears the scars of the attack. Devastated, Mr. Hipp sold off Randy and most of his other animals, but he just couldn’t get rid of Blondie. She died of old age in 1968, a beloved member of the family.

Read the full story HERE
Find more pictures HERE

Rockstar Photographers: The Burrard-Lucas Brothers & The BeetleCam

Leave a comment

Who dare get close enough to take this photograph of a ravenously hungry lion? Brothers Will and Matt Burrard-Lucas and their BeetleCam camera, that’s who. The brothers have engineered a camera on wheels that can get up close and personal with the most dangerous of wild animals.

“Traditionally, this has been achieved using camera traps – stationary cameras triggered when an animal breaks an invisible infra-red beem. The problem with this method is that it requires a great deal of time, patience and luck. We therefore decided to invent something a little more proactive! And so BeetleCam was conceived; a DSLR camera mounted on top of a four-wheel drive remote control buggy.” [via Burrard-Lucas]

See more photos HERE
Purchase a custom made BeetleCam HERE

A Wild Ride: The Liondrome

Leave a comment

Motordromes (sometimes called silodromes or Walls of Death) are nearly extinct now, but in the early 1900′s, these wooden vertical raceways were a carnival attraction that became a staple in the United States outdoor entertainment industry.

Add a lion to your racing sidecar, and you’ve got the Liondrome.

Check out this video containing actual film footage from 1934: Taking A Lion For A Ride

More on Liondromes:
The Wall Of Death
Lions And Ladies

[Images via]