Berberov: the tragedy of 1980. Family members and pets

What would it be for you every morning to wake up in the same house with a lion? And if a puma walks next door? The size and potential for the aggression of these animals do not give us even thought to allow them to keep them at home instead of kitten or doggie.

Some still decide to have at home large predators like a lion or a panther, but, unfortunately, this does not always end well for them. A good example is the Berberovs. The tragedy occurred with the son of this family precisely because of their unreasonable desire for home exoticism. It happened in the distant 1980. Then the news of the incident in the Azerbaijani family quickly flew around the world.

The first lion in the family

The Berberov family consisted of Lev Lvovich, an architect by profession, his wife Nina Petrovna and children - Roman and Eve. According to Nina Berberova, her husband was very fond of animals. They had a lot of pets. Among them were cats, dogs, parrots, raccoons and snakes. When the opportunity arose, they did not refuse to have someone more oversized. This is where the sad history of the Berberovs originates.

Once in the zoo they saw a sickly little lion who was wanted to put to sleep. The Berberovs decided to save the poor animal by taking them home. After a time, the strengthened lion King became a full member of their family.

Not born free

As Nina Petrovna admits, they had the idea of bringing the adult lion back to the zoo, but the animal arranged a real rebellion against it. Resting his best, King nearly turned over the car in which he was brought, although he was not at all aggressive.

In the 1986 film "Born Free", based on the story of the same name by Joy Adamson, the family, who left the lioness named Elsa, eventually releases her to freedom in the wild. However, Berberov was informed that King could no longer live at liberty. Unlike Elsa ("Born free"), this lion, according to experts, was not at all ready for such a life. So King stayed with the Berberovs until his death.

Star career of King

Tamed lion is a godsend for many filmmakers. King began to make films. The most famous film with his participation is "The Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia". Of course, I could not get around the family with an unusual pet and the ubiquitous press. At that time, their family was full of headlines from many popular publications, several documentaries were shot about them.

But it was evident from all that the Berberov family held a lion in their apartment not for fame or money-they all loved him very much. For example, Lev Lvovich and Nina Petrovna reconciled themselves to the fact that King repeatedly took to spend the night in their family bed. The head of the family often found himself on the floor as a result. In everyday life, King behaved like a normal domestic cat: he licked guests and hammered into a corner when they shouted at him.

Puzzling neighbors

Leo Berberov, of course, more than once made them worry their neighbors. First of all, they were annoyed by the terrible stench coming from their apartment. The opportunity to have an apartment in the prestigious district of Baku seemed to them now not so beautiful. In addition, this rather big kitten needed a daily walk. Surely the neighbors tried not to leave their apartments in the morning time when King went for a walk.

And it happened that King woke up at night and issued a typical roar. It is unlikely that the neighbors who heard this dreamed pleasant dreams after that. And what a roar, probably, was heard when the lion rolled from the hind legs to the front, playing with the Dog Chapik ...

King's death

That day was one of the most difficult the Berberovs experienced. The tragedy occurred during the filming of the film about Italians in Russia. The lion stood at the window, when a young man appeared behind the glass, who began to tease the animal in every possible way. King was very playful by nature, this behavior of the young man prompted him, standing on his hind legs, squeezing glass, run up to the young man and dump him on the floor.

Nina Berberova is sure that the young man's behavior led to this lion. And secondly, on the set, he was just taught a scene where he had to catch up with a man and throw him to the ground. Whatever it was, but for this action, King paid his life.

At that moment a policeman who was carrying a gun was passing by. It's hard to say now how this King's fight with a young man would end without police intervention, because it is not completely known whether the lion had such harmless intentions. As a result, for a man it all ended with only a few scratches, and the lion lost his life. The day after the death of the animal the dog of the Berberovs died, and the family members themselves fell into deep despondency.

King II

Soon after the death of the lion, the Berberovs, whose tragedy in life greatly wounded their psyche, decided to get King II. As Nina Petrovna admits, she was against this idea, but Lev Lvovich insisted. At that time, Vladimir Vysotsky and Marina Vladi, writer Yuri Yankovsky and screenwriter Sergei Obraztsov were very helpful in the acquisition of a new lion cub.

A new member of the Berberov family became a pet of the Kazan zoo. The story of the new lion cub in this family started quite differently. He did not need care. But from the very beginning he began to demand respect for himself. He very much fell in love with Roma Berberov and in everything implicitly obeyed him. The boy could even climb a lion on horseback. No other animal allowed this.

King II on the set of the film

Like King I, King II also became a movie star. In 1975, based on real life facts of the Berberov family, Yury Yakovlev created a script for a new film titled "I Have a Lion." Participation in it took the children of the Berberovs. During filming, the lion often demonstrated the nature of the predator.

For example, when Konstantin Bromberg, the director of the film, demanded to leap from the lion into the cold water, he thrust a sharp canine into his leg, leaving a hole 8 cm deep. And the operator's assistant, because of one sharp movement, did not have a piece of his finger. Nevertheless, the film managed to be removed to the end, the public liked it. After such a successful final, King was invited to appear in one more picture, but it did not work out ...

The death of Lev Lvovich Berberov

In 1978, another grief was experienced by the Berberovs. The tragedy happened this time with the head of the family. Lev Lvovich died of a heart attack, leaving his wife completely responsible for the children and the full house of the beasts. By the way, from the large animals in the Berberovs' house there was still a black puma.

The head of the Communist Party rendered invaluable assistance to the Berberov family at that time. For animals, meat was allocated, they were even given a minibus. However, the content of the lion at the time for the Berberovs was an unbearable burden, they planned to send it to the zoo in the near future.

King II also had a hard time surviving the death of the "leader". At first he was looking for him everywhere. Then he began to take things out of Lev Lvovich, lay down on them with all his massive body and hugged his huge paws. According to Nina Petrovna, he did not become more aggressive towards her and the children.

Murder of Roma Berberov and King II

The day of November 24, 1980 began in the most usual way for both Nina Petrovna, and for her son Roma and Pet's pet. The most terrible in a woman's life and the last in the life of Roma and King, this day was already after. In the morning, Nina Petrovna went to the publishing house about the book. Berberova came up with the idea of publishing their common with the husband of the creation of all their pets.

Returning, she found King in a not very friendly mood. After she fed her son, who had just returned from school, she carried the meat to the room where the lion was. The animal suddenly attacked her with all of its massive carcass, threw it on the floor and heavily tore its head. This was not his usual behavior.

Regarding how the lion was killed by 14-year-old Roma Berberov, there are several versions. One of them says that the beast was intoxicated with blood, which appeared on Nina Petrovna's head after he had scratched it. According to another possible scenario, the black puma living in the Berberovs' house is involved in the case. In any case, one thing is known - Roma tried to stop the furious animal, for which he paid with his life. Arriving at the scene, the police shot a lion, and with it a puma.

The further life of Nina Berberova

Nina Petrovna found out about her son's death only after she was discharged from the hospital. Shocking news again knocked the woman off her feet, she spent three months in the hospital. She did not want to live, she thought about suicide. She was helped out of this extremely depressed situation by her daughter, and also by friend - actor Kazim Abdullayev, who later became her husband.

In the family of Kazim Abdullaev and Nina Berberova, two children appeared. It is no longer a desire to hold wild animals at home anymore. Now they live only parrots, cats and dogs. In a prominent place in her house there are photographs of both lions that were in her life, and a picture of her son in the arms of King I. The woman does not hold evil on the second King, as she realizes that it was a predator. But the blame for herself for the death of her son, she has not withdrawn until now.

In Russia it is not forbidden to keep predatory animals at home. But for this it is necessary to purchase a license for a private zoo. This implies a long fuss and considerable work. But, probably, this is for the better, because the free-roaming lions and panthers are a big danger for ordinary people. This kind of exotics can be expensive not only for others, but also for those who tamed the animal. The tragedy of the Berberov family that has traversed the world demonstrates that a wild animal in a civilized society does not belong.