Sergio's Story

You may recall that I had picked up two more lions on the secondary market with the intent of flipping them but getting "Sergio" to my wallet safely was not as simple as walking over to the marketplace and putting my ADA down.

Lion Legends Project: Part 3

Sergio had fled captivity the same night as Antoni but had gone West instead of East. He was from the first group of Lions taken from Namibia and brought to the blockchain, and he wanted nothing more than to return. Namibia's Coastal Desert is one of the oldest deserts in the world. Its sand dunes, created by the strong onshore winds, are the highest in the world. He missed them immensely.

Etosha National Park is the main stronghold for lions in Namibia, with an estimated population of 450 to 500 lions. Sergio wondered if he could work with the non-genetically modified lions and help them with stability in their homeland. So, to return there, he boarded a freight ship headed to Africa.

Because anthropomorphized lions were not expected, he took the careful route of purchasing a shipping container and turning it into a bachelor pad. The word bachelor reminded him. He was not wed, but he hoped someday to find a lioness as fierce as he was. A partner not afraid to travel, not afraid of water, not scared of anything. Surprisingly, shipping to Africa can be as fast as 4 days, and spending 4 days in a decked-out shipping container was no trouble for Sergio.

Until it was. The ship he had taken was under attack, and cargo containers were lifted and dropped off, not at their original destination but in pirates' possession. Sadly, Nigerian and Somalian youth have few economic opportunities. Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea is on the rise despite political efforts.

When the pirates got to Sergio's container, he attempted to fight them off, but he was no match for their poaching gun. A lion of his type was probably the most significant reward the pirates could have hoped for.

He was soon sold as a deckhand to other pirates in the Gulf. However, having a beast like Sergio as an indentured deckhand didn't fair too well for new owners. It had, however, given Sergio the strength he needed to fight for home again even if the grease turned his stomach.

He was caught again chained as a trophy. His uniqueness kept him from being shot on site. An ambulating and verbally fluent lion, with unnatural blue color, was worth more on the cnft.io marketplace, and it was there where I saw his picture.

He had made a reputation throughout the African region, and very few pirate ships wanted to handle him.

I offered a large bounty to acquire him and bring him back to Cardano Village.

After I paid the fees, they didn't release him. It was terrible negotiating with pirates. I posted up this wanted sign in the discord and gave a copy to every Lion Legends member I could find. 

The publicity worked, and I secured Sergio's release without expending too much coin. Once in my wallet, he was able to decompress. 

 I got him some counseling to handle the psychological impact of being forced into captivity yet again. I also told him I'd never put him up on the marketplace to be treated like a hunk of meat for sale. He deserved better.


Next: Lions of Ireland