MEET:Kevin Richardson :The Lion Man

Kevin Richardson (born 8 October 1974) is a South African animal behaviorist who has worked extensively with native animals of Africa.

 He has been accepted into several clans of spotted hyenas and prides of lions.

Kevin Richardson was born in the Nightingale Clinic on 8 October 1974 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He spent his childhood in the neighbourhood of Orange Grove.

Richardson worked in a 1600-acre Lion Park in Broederstroom, a town 35 miles north of his hometown, Johannesburg, in South Africa. While specializing in lions, he also interacted with hyenas and leopards.He spent the first part of his lion career at the Lion Park before moving to the Kingdom of the White Lion. Richardson has a special facility called the Kingdom of the White Lion in Broederstroom.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 movie White Lion. Richardson cares for thirty-nine lions at this facility. Currently, the facility is private, but there are plans to open it to the public.

Richardson has worked with big cats and relies on intuition rather than static rules. He has slept next to, fed, and lived with lions. Along with lions, he has worked with cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas.

 He prefers lions to any other big cat. His relationship with the animals, however, has not been an instant one. He has known all of the lions he works with since they were cubs. He still continues his bond with Tau and Napoleon, the lion brothers who were his introduction to big cats.