Fascinating scene of lioness who hugged man that saved her life

With what seemed to be a huge smile on her face, a huge lioness hugged the man who saved her, taking away on-lookers breath.

The story of Sirga and conservationist Valentin Gruener was one of the biggest viral hits of 2014, with a video of the beautiful beast leaping into his arms viewed almost 10 million times on YouTube.

Their unlikely 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 140kg 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, but with an even more incredible twist - the man must teach the lioness to hunt.

This six-part film will tell the story of their powerful bond.