Keeping it Real at the Greater Vancouver Zoo with Boomer

Over the past year, I had the opportunity to help tell a story that really mattered—one grounded in honesty, care, and respect.

That story was about Boomer, the African lion at the Greater Vancouver Zoo.

Boomer was a very senior lion, and over the last year, his health began to decline. From the beginning, the goal wasn’t to hide that reality—it was to share it.

Because the truth is, people form real connections with animals. Regular visitors, members, and even casual followers build a sense of familiarity and care. When that connection exists, people deserve transparency. Not sharing difficult news can turn a natural moment of loss into something that feels sudden or even misleading—often leading to confusion or anger instead of understanding.

So instead, we chose a different approach: keep it real.

I was tasked with helping tell Boomer’s story in a way that felt honest and grounded. That meant showing not just the animal, but the people behind the scenes—the zookeepers who cared for him every day.

Boomer himself had a unique background. He was a rescue and not a candidate for re-release into the wild, as he hadn’t been trained to hunt and survive on his own. This is something that’s often misunderstood. There’s a lot of misinformation around zoos in general, with the assumption that animals can simply be “set free.” In many cases, that’s not the reality.

Part of the work, then, was not just storytelling—but education.

Over the course of the year, I created a series of three videos for platforms like TikTok and Instagram. These videos gave a real, behind-the-scenes look at Boomer’s life—featuring moments of care, feeding, and honest conversations with the zookeepers about his condition.

There was no overproduction or heavy scripting. The goal was authenticity.

And it resonated.

Across the three videos, we saw hundreds of thousands of views and thousands of engagements. More importantly, we saw understanding. People weren’t just watching—they were connecting with the story and the reality of the situation.

Last week, Boomer passed away.

In response, the zoo received an outpouring of support from the community—messages that reflected not shock or outrage, but appreciation and empathy. People understood his story. They were able to process his passing not as a sudden loss, but as the natural conclusion of a long life that had been cared for with intention.

That shift—from reaction to reflection—is the power of honest storytelling.

It’s easy to default to polished messaging or avoid difficult topics altogether. But in this case, being transparent made all the difference. It allowed people to share in the full arc of Boomer’s life, not just the end of it.

If there’s one takeaway from this experience, it’s that authenticity matters—especially when the story is a hard one to tell.