I Work With Animals! Kevin Richardson, Lion Tamer

What animal lover hasn't daydreamed about ditching their desk job and applying for a job at the zoo? Or at doggy daycare? Or tracking gorillas in Africa? We sure have, but since most of us may never actually get to work with the animals we love, we thought we'd introduce you to a few people who do.

Name: Kevin Richardson
Age: 34
Job: Animal behaviorist, lion tamer, author and film producer based in South Africa

This amazing shot of you and Meg had animal lovers in a tizzy. When did you start working with lions?
About 11 years ago I met a guy who owned The Lion Park in South Africa. I had the opportunity to go there and met two lion cubs that kind of touched my heart. Next thing I know, 11 years have gone by and I'm still very friendly with these lions Tau and Napoleon. I now work at a facility that I helped set up with one of the owners of The Lion Park called The Kingdom of the White Lion.

Do you have a specialty?
I specialize in indigenous animals -- hyenas, leopards, cheetahs, lions, all of our African predators, really.

How did you train for your job?
There's no book written for it! I think it's something one develops over the years. There's no substitute for experience. You've just got to pioneer things, push the barriers a bit.

A bit?
[Laughs] A bit. You know, a lot of people ask me these things. I don't know how I do it, it just kind of works out.

What is your educational background?
I went to university and studied zoology for two years but got fed up because in zoology, you study a lot of sea creatures -- urchins, microscopic organisms. You don't ever really get to study mammals as one would imagine. I didn't want to spend my life studying a garden snail! I eventually studied physiology and anatomy, and then I went to work on people doing exercise physiology.

And you didn't like working on people?
People were never my first choice. I thought animals would always be a hobby because I had to go get a career. But when you're passionate it's only a matter of time before something comes along that suits that passion. In the back of mind I think I always knew exercise physiology would've bored the hell out of me.

What's the trade-off? Salary?
You're not going to get rich working in this field. I have a really great boss who is equally passionate about the animals. Still, my job is not just a guy who rolls around with lions all day -- I have a busy day and chores. From working with animals to producing a feature film, to starring in documentaries to raising babies to managing a game park. A typical animal keeper in South Africa will earn between R5,000 to R10,000 a month ($550 to $1,100 in US currency).

What's a typical day like?
I solicit business, like filming specialized tour groups to help pay our overhead. I oversee the entire establishment: records, vets, health, feeding. I also make sure the animals are happy and that our enclosures are up to spec and that animals get rotated and stimulated.

Have you ever been incredibly scared?
You'll have to read my book "Part of the Pride: My Life Among the Big Cats of Africa"! It's out in September. OK, OK, I'll tell you a bit. It's like any job that involves danger. I use the analogy of a fighter pilot in a jet. Do you think he ever gets scared? I can assure you he does. You go through days when you come home and think, "what the hell am I doing?"

Any close calls?
Absolutely. You are working with predators and you do get bitten and you do get scratched. My lions have teeth and have big sharp claws, every once in a while I get ripped to shreds. It's the same thing as with any pet.

Well, not exactly. Do you have an exit strategy?
You can have all the exit strategies in the world, and if the lion wants to kill you or eat you it's going to do it. Over the years I have found my sixth sense.

Favorite part of your day?
I like to turn myself off, go in with a pride of lions, put my head on one of their stomachs and go to sleep for half an hour.

What's next for you?
My book is coming in out in September and my movie.

What is your film about?
It's called "White Lion – Home... is a Journey." It's about a white lion born into a family of lions, but because he's white and small he's not accepted and ultimately coughed out on his own. Think of this film as a real life Lion King. It's a coming of age story and it's very true to life. This year we're distributing the film and getting it out there.

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