When a safari ranger’s popular blog turns a determined three-legged lion into a global sensation, he attracts a woman widowed by coronavirus and a relentless poaching syndicate in pursuit of its biggest score.

SYNOPSIS:

A determined three-legged lion in South Africa becomes a global phenomenon when Blu, an Indo-Canadian safari ranger, documents his peculiar life. The lion turns into such an object of obsession visitors fly in to witness his feats. Some, however, arrive wanting much more than a photograph for their Instagram page. With a bounty suddenly on its head, the lion must struggle for survival against a relentless poaching syndicate while the man who made him a celebrity seeks to interfere with the plot to kill him. In his quest to do so, Blu is joined by his South African friend, Shamrock, and Maria, a visiting photographer who is seeking rejuvenation after her husband dies from the coronavirus. She is rapt by the excitement in Kruger Park and with Blu’s adoration for things in need of repair.

When Blu foils an attempt to murder Triumph, he enrages the trophy hunters so much they retaliate by taking hostages and ordering Blu to kill the lion in order to rescue the humans. After escaping traps and obstacles set by Carter Viljoen and his criminal army dubbed the Red Arrow, Blu and his friends turn the hunt for one lion into a spectacle of survival.

“Triumph the Lion” is a story about overcoming both physical anguish and emotional trauma. The story is also a visceral and contemporary look at how western society continues to treat Africa, with the idolization of wildlife juxtaposed against the disregard for human struggles on the continent. As well, the story captures the atrocity of animal poaching and trophy hunting that has snared headlines around the world, describing how selfish hunters circumvent laws and borders for bloodsport.

Most of all, though, “Triumph the Lion” is an entertaining tale filled with diverse, multinational characters fit for today’s world. Humour, action, romance, intriguing characters, and riveting plot twists present mass audience appeal. Written by one of North America’s most acclaimed travel writers, “Triumph the Lion” is created to capture the imagination of anyone who has ever been fascinated with adventurous places, and the people and animals who endure in them.