Almost always, statistically speaking, the most lasting relationships of complicity, sympathy and affection between people and animals tend to focus on dogs and cats.
But the truth is that, sometimes, only on rare occasions, powerful stories of coexistence between human beings and all that fascinating and unknown universe that we usually define generically as “wild animals” emerge.
Many people consider it downright dangerous to interact with some animals, probably from a certain prejudice, without true knowledge of the matter.
In reality, far beyond fears and excessive precautions, there are incredible cases that break patterns and clichés.
Dear friends of ‘Peludos’, today I would like to share with you the amazing story between a man and his unusual adventure companions, none other than some sweet and “cute felines”: hyenas, lions and leopards.
Our protagonist enjoyed a certain prestige and became a true celebrity. And of course, like all self-respecting stars, someone coined a motto tailored to him, personal and non-transferable: “the lion whisperer.”
World-wide fame came to zoologist Kevin Richardson especially for his unusual ability to sleep peacefully surrounded by a pack of wild cats. In fact, he bathed with them in the river and they played ball together. As if such a thing.
Many people wondered how someone could become friends with leopards and hyenas. The truth is that much of Richardson’s merit was simply due to his persistent work, and to so many hours of accumulated experiences living among beings perceived by the vast majority as “destructive.”
It is essential that we make an attempt to understand the universe of this eminent zoologist by putting ourselves in his place, a work of empathy, even if only while reading this text.
We have to understand that all those wild animals lived in, let’s say, “natural” conditions in a territory that was related and favorable to them, in the vast confines of “The Kingdom of the White Lion” park.
In fact, Richardson got to know each of those wild beasts from the very beginning, when they were nothing more than gentle babies, and therefore had the privilege of seeing them evolve and grow at his side, step by step.
There are multiple a posteriori rationalizations drawn up with the logical objective of trying to understand how the zoologist managed to generate that extreme familiarity with these ferocious animals.
We know that the naturalist based his relationship with those imposing felines solely by putting into practice essential values ??such as respect and a certain trust, since they ended up considering him another member of their own family, showing him all kinds of affection and tenderness. .
Our animal keeper, of South African origin, observed each of those wild animals through a peculiar method of interaction with them, developing a fantastic ability to understand their daily behavior, based on the detailed analysis of their body languages, knowledge that allowed him to foresee each of their reactions, establishing with them a true code of mutual understanding, a language of his own.
Dear reader, the truth is that good old Kevin achieved enormous popularity through television programs since, beyond being a researcher into the universe of wild animals, he was an excellent communicator. In fact, if you feel like having fun browsing YouTube for a while, you will see his fantastic audiovisual appearances.
From a very young age, just sixteen years old, Richardson began his career as a self-taught ethologist. He decides to study zoology and, in his early twenties, the chance of his life gives him the opportunity to start working in a nature reserve in Johannesburg.
He begins by caring for fragile lion cubs, but the most significant thing is that, once they grow up, he will continue to maintain an emotional and complicit bond with them, as adult predators.
It is often difficult for us to understand how it is possible that some people prefer to interact with ferocious wild animals and not with dogs or cats. But the truth is that our deep connection with nature allows us to establish close ties with so many living beings that we could not even imagine. We live in a culture that is still too full of prejudices and myths based on inaccurate or erroneous information.
Richardson’s extremely close, let’s say very “unorthodox” relationships with some of his most beloved lions are based on his authentic emotional connection, since he has lived intensely familiar with each of his felines, establishing a deep connection with them. , the same that can occur between human beings.
In some of his famous films and documentaries we can see how his lions play affectionately with Richardson although, at the same time, they are really aggressive towards the camera operators who are filming the audiovisual.
And, as often happens in life, we find it difficult to understand certain situations because “we have missed something”, or because we are missing “certain information”.
The truth is that our zoologist came to really love two lionesses, whom he nicknamed Aimee and Meg. In one of the documentaries where they appear, Kevin explains, looking at the camera, from the purest emotion and feeling, that his relationship with those two lionesses is so intense and authentic because he himself, with his own hands, when they were nothing more than two newborns, saved them from drowning after their own mother abandoned them in a river.
Real stories as powerful as that of Kevin Richardson and his inseparable friends (lions, hyenas and leopards) help us understand that appearances can be deceiving, and that a kitten of just four kilos can become, in certain circumstances, a larger presence. threatening than a huge feline weighing one hundred and fifty kilos.
