Photos: Lioness hugs man who saved her life

Despite concerns,the bond between a lioness and a man who saved her is still going strong 3 years later ..Their friendship is evident as the lioness hugs the man in this amazing moment captured on camera.The story of Sirga and conservationist Valentin Gruener was one of the biggest viral hits of 2014, with a video of the beautifulbeast leaping into his arms viewed almost 10 million times on YouTube.

Their friendship began when cub Sirga was driven out of her pride, and faced certain death alone on the plains.But she was spotted by Valentin, who rescued her and took her into the Modisa Wildlife Project in Botswana.

As their bond grew, every time Val opened the gate to her enclosure he was hugged by his feline friend.

And now, three years on, the lioness and conservationist remain the best of friends, and Valentin was named on Google's 2014 inspirational list for his remarkable work with Sirga.Their fascinating tale has now been made into a documentary series