Kevin Richardson (zoologist)
Encyclopedia
Kevin Richardson is an animal behaviorist and has done extensive research on native animals of Africa
. He has been acknowledged into a pack of spotted hyena
s and pride of lion
s. He works with hyenas and big cats such as cheetah
s and leopard
s. He specializes with lions and runs the Kingdom of the White Lion facility in the Lion Park in Gauteng Province, South Africa
. Known around the world as the "Lion Whisperer," Richardson is also an author and film producer.
, South Africa in 1974. He spent his childhood in the neighborhood of Orange Grove. He is a South African citizen of English descent. Patricia, his mother, worked for Barclays Bank, and was also born in South Africa. Her parents had emigrated from England
. Richardson's father worked for a pharmaceutical company, and moved to South Africa from Reading, Berkshire
. Kevin Richardson was the youngest of 4 children: an older brother and two sisters who were twins.
Kevin has, from the time he was an infant, loved all animals. He was breeding crickets and kept a toad called "Paddatjie" at the age of 3. Nicknamed "The Bird Man of Orange Grove," he cared for multiple animals as a kid and grew up spending most of his time in his backyard.
At the age of 13, Richardson's father died. When he was about 16, he met Stan Schmidt and Richardson started his career as a zoologist.
, but quit after two years after repetitive lessons on marine biology
instead of mammals. Richardson started his adult life believing that he would never work with animals as a career. He thought that his work with animals would be a hobby. He started taking courses in physiology
and anatomy
in college and started a career physiotherapy.and ended up helping people with exercise physiology. When he was 23, he came across the chance to work with two 6-month old cubs at the Lion Park near the outskirts of his home in Johannesburg. He still works with the grown up cubs, Tau and Napoleon. The owner, Rodney Fuhr, started him off with a part time job at the Lion Park.
Richardson and his team work with animals for the commercial filming industry and make documentaries to generate income to fund his facility. They also have a volunteer program which brings in income and much needed extra hands to run the sanctuary.
Richardson is a self-taught zoologist. He develops a bond with his lion and gets to know them. Richardson has gained notoriety as a zoologist by living and sleeping with lions. Richardson has disregarded many safety rules concerning lions, and has dispelled many myths about their training.
fauna and the native animals found in this park. The Park is split into two areas. Herbivores and carnivores are separated and the herbivores such as zebra
s, giraffe
s, and antelope
are available for viewing up close. The carnivores include 3 prides of lions and one clan of hyenas. They are surrounded by barriers and fences to protect each pride from each other. Lions are extremely territorial and will attack if intruders enter their land. The lions housed there are indigenous to Mozambique
, Zimbabwe
, Northern Gauteng
, and Botswana
. The Lion park is open all year from 08:30 - 17:00.
Currently, Richardson has a special facility called the Kingdom of the White Lion in Broederstroom a small city 50 miles from Johannesburg. 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. He cares for 39 lions at this facility. The farm is currently a private property, but there are plans to open it to the public.
His unique relationship with the genus Panthera
has dispelled many myths concerning the care of lions. Richardson shows that lions and animals in general have personalities, feelings, and are social creatures. He shows that with mutual respect, many species can coexist together. That does not mean there are no dangers; Richardson, throughout his career, has had many close encounters.
Richardson is not dissuaded with these dangers. In an interview, he mentions, "Obviously one realizes the danger when working with animals of this caliber, I've weighed the pros and I've weighed the cons, and the pros far outweigh the cons." He warns about following in his footsteps, however. All the pictures of his adventures do not portray his years of experience and bonding. "People like to take things out of context. They don't know the relationship I have with this lion." Richardson, as a rule only interacts with lions he has been with since their birth.
Lion hunts in South Africa are worth more than 90 million dollar (£60 million) a year says the Professional Hunters Association. 16,394 foreign hunters (more than half of which fly from the US) killed 46,000+ animals from Sept. 2006 - Sept. 2007. Trophy hunter is worth $91.2 million a year and foreign tourist sometimes pay up to $40,000 to shoot a lion. The government supports hunting because of its revenue. Provincial government sell permits to kill rhinos, lions, elephants, and giraffes. 1,050 lions were killed in 2008. White Lion hopes to give people second thoughts about participating in these events.
Richardson has also featured in many documentaries, movies, and commercials. It was during his stint at the Lion Park that Michael Rosenberg decided to use Richardson's talents in documentaries such as Dangerous Companions and In Search of a Legend. Growing Up Hyena is a documentary where Richardson sets out to change the misconception of the hyena as a feared and loathed evil scavenger. Richardson's work in the Okavango Delta and Lydenberg had brought forth another documentary concerning black leopards titled In Search of a Legend. With the amount of filming done, Richardson moved all his animals to the Kingdom of the White Lion property.
Richardson's latest film is called White Lion: Home is a Journey and concerns a young white lion named "Letsatsi," who survives against all odds. This film is the first to star native lions instead of the regularly imported ones. Rodney Fuhr along with his wife Ilana independently funded the movie and served as Executive Producer. The film was shot at the Kingdom of the White Lion, SA Lion Park, Nash's farm, Glen Afric, and Entabeni Game Reserve
. The South African based company Peru Productions Pty. Ltd.'s first feature film was White Lion. -
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. He has been acknowledged into a pack of spotted hyena
Spotted Hyena
The spotted hyena also known as laughing hyena, is a carnivorous mammal of the family Hyaenidae, of which it is the largest extant member. Though the species' prehistoric range included Eurasia extending from Atlantic Europe to China, it now only occurs in all of Africa south of the Sahara save...
s and pride of lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s. He works with hyenas and big cats such as cheetah
Cheetah
The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
s and leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
s. He specializes with lions and runs the Kingdom of the White Lion facility in the Lion Park in Gauteng Province, South Africa
Gauteng
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
. Known around the world as the "Lion Whisperer," Richardson is also an author and film producer.
Early life
Richardson was born in the Nightingale Clinic in JohannesburgJohannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa in 1974. He spent his childhood in the neighborhood of Orange Grove. He is a South African citizen of English descent. Patricia, his mother, worked for Barclays Bank, and was also born in South Africa. Her parents had emigrated from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Richardson's father worked for a pharmaceutical company, and moved to South Africa from Reading, Berkshire
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. Kevin Richardson was the youngest of 4 children: an older brother and two sisters who were twins.
Kevin has, from the time he was an infant, loved all animals. He was breeding crickets and kept a toad called "Paddatjie" at the age of 3. Nicknamed "The Bird Man of Orange Grove," he cared for multiple animals as a kid and grew up spending most of his time in his backyard.
At the age of 13, Richardson's father died. When he was about 16, he met Stan Schmidt and Richardson started his career as a zoologist.
Zoologist career
Richardson went to university and started learning zoologyZoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
, but quit after two years after repetitive lessons on marine biology
Marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
instead of mammals. Richardson started his adult life believing that he would never work with animals as a career. He thought that his work with animals would be a hobby. He started taking courses in physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
and anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
in college and started a career physiotherapy.and ended up helping people with exercise physiology. When he was 23, he came across the chance to work with two 6-month old cubs at the Lion Park near the outskirts of his home in Johannesburg. He still works with the grown up cubs, Tau and Napoleon. The owner, Rodney Fuhr, started him off with a part time job at the Lion Park.
Richardson and his team work with animals for the commercial filming industry and make documentaries to generate income to fund his facility. They also have a volunteer program which brings in income and much needed extra hands to run the sanctuary.
Richardson is a self-taught zoologist. He develops a bond with his lion and gets to know them. Richardson has gained notoriety as a zoologist by living and sleeping with lions. Richardson has disregarded many safety rules concerning lions, and has dispelled many myths about their training.
Facilities
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 majority of his lion career at the Lion Park before moving to the Kingdom of the White Lion. The Lion Park was founded by the Chipperfields Circus in November, 1966. Located in the Gauteng-Tshwane complex, the climate is perfect for HighveldHighveld
The Highveld is a high plateau region of inland South Africa which is largely home to the largest metropolitan area in the country, the Gauteng City Region, which accounts for one-third of South Africa's population.-Location and description:...
fauna and the native animals found in this park. The Park is split into two areas. Herbivores and carnivores are separated and the herbivores such as zebra
Zebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
s, giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
s, and antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
are available for viewing up close. The carnivores include 3 prides of lions and one clan of hyenas. They are surrounded by barriers and fences to protect each pride from each other. Lions are extremely territorial and will attack if intruders enter their land. The lions housed there are indigenous to Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
, Northern Gauteng
Gauteng
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
, and Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
. The Lion park is open all year from 08:30 - 17:00.
Currently, Richardson has a special facility called the Kingdom of the White Lion in Broederstroom a small city 50 miles from Johannesburg. 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. He cares for 39 lions at this facility. The farm is currently a private property, but there are plans to open it to the public.
Lion Care
Richardson has worked with big cats and relies on intuition rather than static rules. He has slept next to, fed, and lived with his lions. Along with his lions, he has worked with cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas. He prefers lions to any other big cat. His relationship, however, is not an instant one. Most of the lions he works with, he has known since they were cubs. He still continues his bond with Tau and Napoleon, the lion brothers that introduced him to big cats.His unique relationship with the genus Panthera
Panthera
Panthera is a genus of the family Felidae , which contains four well-known living species: the tiger, the lion, the jaguar, and the leopard. The genus comprises about half of the Pantherinae subfamily, the big cats...
has dispelled many myths concerning the care of lions. Richardson shows that lions and animals in general have personalities, feelings, and are social creatures. He shows that with mutual respect, many species can coexist together. That does not mean there are no dangers; Richardson, throughout his career, has had many close encounters.
Dangers
Richardson quickly learned about the dangers of lion keeping early on. A four year old male held him down and bit him; the lion held on and then let go and walked away. From then on, Richardson has used his intuition and stays away if something feels wrong. In another incident, the lions were in a good mood. Two 400 pound (180 kilogram) lions threw Richardson to the ground and another female jumped on him. He emerged with his face red. As he left, one lion smacked his shoulder with a paw. Richardson has unintentionally been clawed and bitten before. It is the nature of lions to scratch each other and they regard Richardson no differently.Richardson is not dissuaded with these dangers. In an interview, he mentions, "Obviously one realizes the danger when working with animals of this caliber, I've weighed the pros and I've weighed the cons, and the pros far outweigh the cons." He warns about following in his footsteps, however. All the pictures of his adventures do not portray his years of experience and bonding. "People like to take things out of context. They don't know the relationship I have with this lion." Richardson, as a rule only interacts with lions he has been with since their birth.
Mission
The population of lions has dropped from about 350,000 to an estimated 25,000 in a 15 year span. Richardson hopes the media attention of his movies will raise public awareness and educate them on the conservation needed to protect Africa's animals.Lion hunts in South Africa are worth more than 90 million dollar (£60 million) a year says the Professional Hunters Association. 16,394 foreign hunters (more than half of which fly from the US) killed 46,000+ animals from Sept. 2006 - Sept. 2007. Trophy hunter is worth $91.2 million a year and foreign tourist sometimes pay up to $40,000 to shoot a lion. The government supports hunting because of its revenue. Provincial government sell permits to kill rhinos, lions, elephants, and giraffes. 1,050 lions were killed in 2008. White Lion hopes to give people second thoughts about participating in these events.
Works/Publications
| Title | Minutes/Pages | Features | Produced/Published | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dangerous Companions | 52 Minutes | Lions | Unknown | Unknown |
| Growing Up Growing Up... Growing Up... is a series that airs on Animal Planet, a cable and satellite television network co-owned by Discovery Communications, Inc. and BBC Worldwide. Each episode is an hour long and follows the life of a wild animal growing up in captivity.-Description:The show has always featured mammals... Hyena |
Part of Growing Up Series | Hyenas | Animal Planet | August 5, 2008(DVD) |
| In Search of a Legend | 52 Minutes | Black Leopard | Graham Wallington | Unknown |
| White Lion: Home is a Journey | 88 Minutes | White Lion | Peru Productions | February 19, 2010 |
| Part of the Pride: My Life Among the Big Cats of Africa | 256 Pages | Kevin Richardson | St. Martin's Press | September 1, 2009 |
| The Lion Ranger Series | 3 x 60 Minutes | Various | Renegade Productions | March 2010 |
Richardson has also featured in many documentaries, movies, and commercials. It was during his stint at the Lion Park that Michael Rosenberg decided to use Richardson's talents in documentaries such as Dangerous Companions and In Search of a Legend. Growing Up Hyena is a documentary where Richardson sets out to change the misconception of the hyena as a feared and loathed evil scavenger. Richardson's work in the Okavango Delta and Lydenberg had brought forth another documentary concerning black leopards titled In Search of a Legend. With the amount of filming done, Richardson moved all his animals to the Kingdom of the White Lion property.
Richardson's latest film is called White Lion: Home is a Journey and concerns a young white lion named "Letsatsi," who survives against all odds. This film is the first to star native lions instead of the regularly imported ones. Rodney Fuhr along with his wife Ilana independently funded the movie and served as Executive Producer. The film was shot at the Kingdom of the White Lion, SA Lion Park, Nash's farm, Glen Afric, and Entabeni Game Reserve
Entabeni Game Reserve
The Entabeni Game Reserve, Entabeni means 'place of the mountain', is a private reserve situated in the Waterberg in Limpopo Province in northern South Africa. The Entabeni Reserve is popular for safari trips because of the opportunity to see big game and a variety of birds and antelope species,...
. The South African based company Peru Productions Pty. Ltd.'s first feature film was White Lion. -