What do you think happens when you try to hug a lion? Of course you
know what happens, the lion isn’t going to be into it, and it’s probably
going to try to eat you. The story you’re about to hear is unlike the
one you have in your head when you think of a man attempting to hug a
lion.
A brave man named Kevin Richardson is a South African zoologist, who
studies native animals to Africa. He has studied lions to such an extent
that he seems to have uncovered the secret to not being mauled to
death, as you will see. He has decades of hands-on experience studying
how lions behave, and he was able to use that knowledge to his benefit
in an amazing way.
Richardson is capturing the eyes of the world through his
relationships with these lions, as well as hopefully attracting
much-needed awareness to the issues that wildlife animals are facing in
Africa. Wild animals numbers are dwindling as time goes on, and if these
trends continue, animals such as these beautiful lions will eventually
be on the endangered species list.
Richardson and his crew got together their GoPro cameras
and traveled to get as close as they possibly could to these African
lions. After he calls them, they miraculously DON’T attack, but they go
in for a hug! You have to admit that when you watch, you immediately
think he’s doomed. Instead, you’re a witness to one of the most adorable
hugging sessions ever. These 400-pound animals seem to act like nothing
more than house cats around Richardson.
Richardson truly believes that this is a possibility within
the next 20 years – not that these lions will be put on endangered
species lists, but that they will be extinct.
Why are the numbers of these types of lions seemingly
dropping at such an insane rate? These amazing creatures are simply
losing their natural habitats extremely quickly, due to unethical
hunting and extensive progression by humans to their homelands.
Richardson truly hopes that this kind of footage can put to
rest many people’s fears over these types of animals. If people can
feel like he can interact with them in this way, maybe he can change the
world’s view on lions in general.
