incrediblefootagehas emerged of a south African man dubbed "The lion Whisperer" playing with his unusual collection of pets in a private zoo Kevin Richardson says he's fully aware the lions could kill him but doesn't seem the slightest bit worried Sky's emma Herd reports .
kevin is an animal behaviorist who doesn't believe in observing his subjects from a safe distance .
That's what you call a lion sandwich Hello my boys Hello my little cubbies !
what would you say to people Kevin who would say that you're interfering with nature ?
well you know I think we interfered with nature the day we put these animals in enclosures and these lions none of these lions come from the wild So you know interfering with nature no not really I'm trying to promote the better life of animals in captivity yes .
In the wild lions don't like water but look at this A young lioness playing with him in the river This footage has amazed wildlife experts around the world Kevin's work here has divided conservationists there are plenty who say that any human interaction with a wild animal is just wrong but others say that this actually promotes the species in a way which should guarantee its long-term survival .
Are you alright in there ?
huh ?
Are you OK ?
yeah This is normal .
But then an orphaned hyena decided to join in .
stop it Stanice !
He escaped with just a few scratches this time around .
Cheeky bugger Stop it Stanice !
I often say you know if they did kill me I mean because something like it did happen you know god forbid yeah it's just one of those things It's not something I think about or worry about and if I had the opportunity to come back after dying I would do it all the same
there is a remarkable bond here Over time and without any kind of coercion these lions have accepted a man as part of the pride
