THE LION WHISPERER Meet Kevin Richardson

evin Richardson’s unique relationship with some of Africa’s apex predators have opened many doors and captivated the imagination of many people throughout the world.

He has presented and produced several documentaries that detail his relationships with the animals and highlight the plight of lions both in captivity and in the wild.

The Kevin Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary transforms the way humans think, interact and behave toward the keeping of large carnivores.

The sanctuary’s ultimate goal is to minimize the number of large carnivores being kept in captivity and to highlight the direct link between the cub petting industry and the ‘canned’ hunting industry, by educating the unsuspecting public to the horrors associated with this unscrupulous practice.

Ultimately, they would like to see both practices outlawed. The sanctuary aims to maximize efforts towards keeping carnivores in their natural habitats and is currently home not only to lion, but spotted hyena, striped hyena and black leopard.

The lion population occupies less than 20% of its former range in Africa. Numbers are estimated between 15,000 and 30,000 depending on who is asked. More recently scientists have started to settle on a number of 20,000, however more research is needed into the actual numbers. If allowed to carry on declining at the current rate, there will be no lions left in the wildlife in as little as 20 years.

Kevin’s vision is to raise awareness about the plight of lions and other carnivores in the wildlife and help prevent their habitat loss via human encroachment and conflict (revenge killing), unscrupulous hunting and illegal trade.

The sanctuary’s efforts are buttressed by its many collaborative efforts with other like-minded international organizations that provide care, support, academic and scientific research and other such programs that support the shared values of the sanctuary.

The sanctuary provides the animals in its care the ability to live out full lives, in an open and natural environment, by providing cutting edge enrichment programs and health care.

Education of both adults and children are at the bedrock of how the sanctuary aims to accomplish its goals via documentaries, films, social media and tourism. K