Melanie Griffith is grateful for the ''strength'' growing up with lions, tigers and elephants gave her.

The 'Working Girl' star's mother Tippi Hedren was well known to have her own wild animals - with some of them still living in a sanctuary she owns - and Melanie has now revealed that it was a ''crazy, beautiful and dangerous time''.

Taking to Instagram, she shared photos of her younger years and captioned them: ''I grew up with lions, tigers and 2 elephants. It was a crazy, beautiful, and dangerous time. I am however, very grateful for the strength it gave me. One cannot show fear around big cats. Even when they are babies. My 90 year old Mama still has some cats! We don't socialise with them like we used too. The cats now live in the beautiful sanctuary my Mom has for them. People can not go in their compounds. You cannot physically touch them. But they are magnificent to behold. Look at Shambala.org and of course take a look at @tippihedrenofficial (sic)''

Meanwhile, Dakota Johnson - who is the daughter of Melanie and actor Antonio Banderas - previously revealed her grandmother has ''13 or 14 lions and tigers'' as pets.

The 'Fifty Shades of Grey' star said of her grandmother: ''She is 90 now, but still has 13 or 14 lions and tigers.

''By the time I was born they were all in compounds, so it wasn't as psycho as it was when it first started!''