By Roxanne Reid
What's your view of human interaction with wild animals? Are walking with lions, elephant-back safaris, cuddling cheetah cubs and so acceptable or not? Watch this video and tell us: what's your view?
What's your view of human interaction with wild animals? Are walking with lions, elephant-back safaris, cuddling cheetah cubs and so acceptable or not? Watch this video and tell us: what's your view?
In this video, the Lion Whisperer, otherwise known as Kevin Richardson, has a bit of a romp with his chums, a pair of lions. Even if I put the annoyingly repetitive and inane indignities of the sound track aside, I'm left conflicted.
On the one hand I'm in awe of his obvious rapport with the lions, those kings of the jungle. On the other hand, I can't help a niggling feeling that this isn't how life should be for lions.
Even if they were abandoned as cubs or had to be saved from the horrors of canned hunting, if they were in need of rehabilitation and care for any other reason (and before you shoot me down, let me hasten to say that I don't know the background story to these particular lions), wouldn't it be better to try to work towards reintroducing them to the wild rather than treating them as domestic pets? And if they can't be reintroduced to the wild, why not simply care for them without all the human interaction?
I'd love you to share your opinions in the comments below.
Copyright © Roxanne Reid. No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from www.roxannereid.co.za. (I do not hold copyright of the video.)
On the one hand I'm in awe of his obvious rapport with the lions, those kings of the jungle. On the other hand, I can't help a niggling feeling that this isn't how life should be for lions.
Even if they were abandoned as cubs or had to be saved from the horrors of canned hunting, if they were in need of rehabilitation and care for any other reason (and before you shoot me down, let me hasten to say that I don't know the background story to these particular lions), wouldn't it be better to try to work towards reintroducing them to the wild rather than treating them as domestic pets? And if they can't be reintroduced to the wild, why not simply care for them without all the human interaction?
I'd love you to share your opinions in the comments below.
Copyright © Roxanne Reid. No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from www.roxannereid.co.za. (I do not hold copyright of the video.)
