This week 60 Minutes Summer Series will repeat their story Lion Man, which originally aired in July 2007 after Craig Busch pleaded guilty to assault. The other charges were dropped after his ex lover decided not to testify.
I think it is a shame that ex partner Karen Greybrook decided not to testify in court, as the public will never know the truth. A media trial is simply not the same.
I found the 60 Minutes story compelling, with the video footage of people claiming he has ripped them off together with video evidence of Craig being less than gentle with the lions but I would have liked to have heard Craig’s side of the story. I’d also have liked to know more about the basis for the original charges which included a charge of “unlawful sexual connection”.
He said he pulled her away and she simply fell on the floor.
However, Karen received a serious head wound, damaged ribs and a fractured back bone. Her doctor told us he examined her after the assaults and he considered Craig’s explanation very “unlikely”.
Had Karen testified then there would have been a chance for both Karen and Craig to tell their stories under oath and been cross-examined.
Their friends Des and Hermes White, who were found in bed with Karen, could also have been cross examined and expert medical testimony could have been introduced to determine whether the injuries sustained were simply a case of Karen falling awkwardly, or, as
60 Minutes suggest, another example of a man with previous charges for domestic assault harming his partner.
I personally don’t believe Craig’s version that “she simply fell”, but nor do I accept the version that Des and Hermes gave of the evening’s events. They say they feared for Karen’s safety, but they didn’t call the police or make any attempt to get in there to help her. It also stretches credibility that three people would lie in bed semi-naked just to provide comfort.
Monday night’s
60 Minutes tells the story of Craig Busch who originally appeared on our screens in his own show,
The Lion Man where he worked with ferocious animals.
From the moment The Lion Man appeared on our screens, Craig Busch has been good for the press – cute photos of newborn cubs, hands-on tours of his Zion Wildlife park – even a bit of self-promotion as the inspiration for Narnia’s Aslan. His show has also spawned DVDs of series one and two, as well as a 2008 Lion Man calendar.
However there’s another, less appealing side to the Lion Man. Busch pleaded guilty to assaulting his partner, Karen Greybrook, and as she tells it, those assaults were terrifying. It also appears that he ripped off a land owner.
Lion Man is produced by
Great Southern Television. Managing Director and Executive Producer, Philip Smith issued the following statement
In terms of The Lion Man returning, I feel you should watch the show and make your own judgments.
The project at Zion Wildlife Gardens is in fact the largest big cat sanctuary in the world. They have 48 cats – all extinct in the wild. They have a breeding programme for White Lions that is the most advanced in the world. The park has 10 white lions – there are about 70 left in the world. So they hold the key to the preservation of this species. That is why people fly in from around the world – every day – to visit this special park.
The park is also a major employer of a number of conservationists who work tirelessly to save these animals. To go up there and see what these people are doing is quite staggering.
It is not about one person. It is not just about Craig, although his contribution is considerable.
You mentioned a piece of footage about Craig mishandling animals. For the five years I have produced the Lion Man we have never filmed anything like it. I seem to remember it showed him pulling a lion on a rope. The 2500 hours of footage we have of unedited film consistently shows Craig as a very kind and caring animal handler. I encourage everyone to watch episode 2 of the new series. Then decide about Craig, It is the best episode we have ever made of the show.
As a secondary point the series is also one of the most successful in NZ History. It plays in 93 countries. When we say 93 countries we are not talking about one broadcast by Animal Planet – beamed out all over the planet. We are talking about 93 free to air television channels (not niche digital channels) around the world like TV2 or TV3 – often in primetime. As we know, the series illustrates a group of New Zealanders running a pioneering environmental campaign. It highlights New Zealand full stop.
And some of the revenue gained from these broadcasts actually helps fund the entire project.
So GSTV was left with a big decision. Scrap the entire television project or go forward. Craig Busch would not have been the victim, It would have been the environmental project, the dedicated local staff – and most importantly – the cats. It was a big call.
When we weighed up all the facts, and the incredible personal cost already worn by the Lion Man himself, we decided to continue with the series.
We took the heat off TVNZ, and offered them the opportunity, like 93 other countries, to simply buy the finished show. This means they didn’t spend any taxpayer money making it. As a result TVNZ has not changed its mind on anything, as asserted by your column. TVNZ all along said it would not commission another series. And it hasn’t. It has simply bought a finished product.
Well time for the show to go to air, fingers crossed it goes well. Thanks for thinking of us – and keep watching (everything!).
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Images: TVNZ
Zion Wildlife Gardens was cleared after a volunteer had her hand and thumb mauled by a lion. Zion Wildlife Gardens is the park featured on popular television show Lion Man.
After a tough few years, 
In a reversal of their previous decision TVNZ has decided to screen Lion Man
