Kevin Richardson, nicknamed the “Lion Whisperer,” witnessed a lioness abandoning her cubs by rubbing their necks and throwing them to the side. He knew he had to intervene and save the little babies who otherwise wouldn’t survive without their mother by their side. Kevin loved the loving boys and now, seven years later, he was on the verge of reuniting with them.
By this time the cubs had become beautiful lionesses who learned to hunt on their own. As Kevin says, they don’t necessarily need to be taught how to do this because it’s in their DNA to catch a prayer. When he wanted to approach his old friends, he was a little nervous.
However, he says that when working with big cats, he relies on intuition rather than static rules in his interactions, so he can feel how they would react if he tracked them down. Youtube Kevin and his crew spotted one of them and strapped a GoPro camera to her stomach because they wanted to film the reunion firsthand. What the camera captured is one of the most majestic interactions between a wild animal and a human being. This lioness trusts her rescuer so much that she is willing to go into the water for him. The way she approached the water resembled a stance these animals take before attacking their prey, but Kevin knew she wouldn’t hurt him, the only thing she wanted was to be with her friend to be together.
Fortunately, both cameras were rolling and captured the perfect moment that took our breath away. Kevin knows that moments like this are worth every sacrifice he makes.
He has been scratched and punctured before, but that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to work with these magnificent creatures because, as he says, “Obviously you’re aware of the danger when you work with animals of this caliber. I’ve weighed the pros and I’ve weighed the cons, and the pros far outweigh the cons.” Take a look at their heartbreaking reunion.
