The Lion Whisperer

Kevin Richardson, the allegedly 'self-taught' zoo keeper has been caring for wild animals since he was 23 . He hand raised the lion cubs Tau and Napoleon since they were half a year old . He soon started working in the Lion Park situated in the outskirts of his hometown Johannesburg.

Kevin with lion cubs.

His workplace was under severe criticism for allowing visitors to pet young lions and when they're older , send them off to the canned lion industry. To be a part of the industry ensures a brutal and unfair death for the animal. The lion is confined to a small plot which is fenced and is often sedated to be hunted effortlessly. This kind of trophy hunting is very beneficial for the hunter as different parts of the animal's body are sold off in the black market.

Trophy hunting of a lioness.

Lion bones being carried off for sale.

Kevin is whole heatedly against such practice, he aims to rehabilitate prospective victims of such brutality in the wild. The animals no longer safe to be petted by tourists in the park are the ones typically sent off and those are the ones Kevin rescues by giving them a place in his sanctuary and heart. He even founded the Kevin Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary to put an end to malpractices similar to canning.

The petting industry is flourishing in many parts of the world despite known consequences of such action.

Even though he was a part of a petting park , Kevin believes that humans ought to develop a relationship with lions over time instead of attaining mastery over them. In his words, " A lion is not a possession ; it's a sentient being, so you must pay attention and develop your bond like with any relationship"

Kevin with Thor, the white lion. Sadly Thor passed away in 2013 when struck by lightning.

In 2010, Kevin along with his friend Rodney Fuhr created the film " White Lion" which tells the story of a white lion treated like an outcast by other lions , seen as a blessing by the natives and merely an ideal trophy hunt by poachers. The facility " Kingdom of the White Lion" was built for the movie and Kevin also looks after his lions there.

The poster of " White Lion " .

Other than lions, Kevin is also seen to share an intimate bond with his hyenas and leopards who feature regularly in his YouTube videos. In his documentary " Growing Up Hyena " , he contradicted the popular belief that hyenas are simply vicious,loathful scavengers and established that they are quite intelligent. He threw light on their method of communication , popularly known as laughing , and made it very clear that there's nothing funny about their laughs as they are in reality panic sounds.

The hyenas seem to love him.

And so do the leopards !

Although Kevin was injured by his furry companions a number of times, it does not make him love them any less. He considers his injuries as a sign of acceptance into the family of the animals. They rub their cheeks against his and play fight, digging their claws into him in the gentlest way possible . The Lion Whisperer admits that playing with the wild animals can be incredibly risky with fatal consequences . Even the tongues of his beloved feline friends feel like sandpaper being rubbed on him several times ( due to spiky papillae present on the surface of the tongue) but he is never seen shying away from a kiss