![]() When the lions reached maturity, they were shipped out to canned hunting operations because they were too dangerous to be near tourists. Richardson worked as a lion handler for the lion park that featured in a 2014 segment of the CBS program 60 Minutes, which revealed that the Lion Park in Lanseria bred lions to ensure a supply of cubs year-round. Richardson also differentiates his work from that of zoologists interacting with completely wild animals they have not raised, or that of trainers whose animals are required to perform on stage day after day. They don't know the relationship I have with this lion." As a rule, Richardson only interacts with lions he has been with since their birth. "People like to take things out of context. All the pictures of his adventures do not portray his years of experience and bonding. In an interview, he mentions, "Obviously one realizes the danger when working with animals of this caliber, I've weighed the pros and I've weighed the cons, and the pros far outweigh the cons." He warns about following in his footsteps, however. Richardson has been scratched, punctured, and bitten but is not dissuaded by these dangers. "A lion is not a possession it's a sentient being, so you must pay attention and develop your bond like with any relationship." Dangers ĭespite his prior involvement in lion cub petting, Richardson rejects the traditional notion that lions should be mastered and dominated, preferring to develop a relationship over time, based on love and respect. He still continues his bond with Tau and Napoleon, the lion brothers who were his introduction to big cats. He has known all of the lions he works with since they were cubs. His relationship with the animals, however, has not been an instant one. He has also worked with cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas. He has slept next to, fed, and lived with lions. In 2015 the Kevin Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary relocated to Welgedacht Private Game Reserve near Pretoria. The sanctuary's Web site said in 2020 that it was open for guided group tours and had a volunteering program. As of 2011 the facility was private, but there were plans to open it to the public. Richardson cares for thirty-nine lions at this facility. The park, which was set up with the help of Rodney Fuhr, is 800 hectares (2,000 acres) and was built for the set of the 2010 movie White Lion. Whilst primarily specializing in lions, he has also interacted with hyenas and black panthers. Richardson worked within a 650 hectares (1,600 acres) Lion Park in Broederstroom, a town 35 miles north of his hometown, Johannesburg, in South Africa. They also have a volunteer programme which generates income, and volunteers who help to run the sanctuary. Richardson and his team work with animals for the commercial filming industry and make documentaries to generate income to fund the facility. The facility owner, Rodney Fuhr, started him off with a part-time job at the Lion Park. He still runs with the now full grown cubs in the wild. His early years took place at the Lion Park near the outskirts of his home in Johannesburg. When he was twenty-three, he had the opportunity to work as a handler and cared for two six-month-old lion cubs, Tau and Napoleon which he later rescued. He started taking courses in physiology and anatomy in college and started a career in exercise physiology and became an exercise physiologist. As an adult, Richardson believed that he would never have a career working with animals and that it would remain a hobby of his. Richardson went to college and studied zoology, but quit following two years of repetitive lessons on marine biology instead of mammals. When he was about sixteen, he met Stan Schmidt and began his career as a "self-taught behaviourist." Career His father died when Richardson was thirteen years old. Kevin Richardson is the youngest of four children: he has an older brother and two sisters who are twins. Richardson's father, who worked for a pharmaceutical company, was born in the United Kingdom and moved to South Africa from Reading, Berkshire. His mother, Patricia, worked for Barclays Bank and was also born in South Africa. He spent his childhood in the neighbourhood of Orange Grove. Kevin Richardson was born in the Nightingale Clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa, on the 8th of October, 1974. Kevin Rene Richardson (born 8 October 1974), known as "The Lion Whisperer", is a South African YouTube personality, wildlife conservationist and self-taught sanctuary owner who works with African lions, black leopards, spotted hyenas and striped hyenas.
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