Kevin Rene Richardson (born 8 October 1974), known as "The Lion Whisperer", is a South African YouTube personality, wildlife conservationist and self-taught sanctuary owner who works with African lions, black leopards, spotted hyenas and striped hyenas.

Kevin Richardson was born in the Nightingale Clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa, on the 8th of October, 1974. He spent his childhood in the neighbourhood of Orange Grove. His mother, Patricia, worked for Barclays Bank and was also born in South Africa. Richardson's father, who worked for a pharmaceutical company, was born in the United Kingdom and moved to South Africa from Reading, Berkshire. Kevin Richardson is the youngest of four children: he has an older brother and two sisters who are twins. His father died when Richardson was thirteen years old. When he was about sixteen, he met Stan Schmidt and began his career as a "self-taught behaviourist."

Richardson went to college and studied zoology, but quit following two years of repetitive lessons on marine biology instead of mammals. As an adult, Richardson believed that he would never have a career working with animals and that it would remain a hobby of his. He started taking courses in physiology and anatomy in college and started a career in exercise physiology and became an exercise physiologist. When he was twenty-three, he had the opportunity to work as a handler and cared for two six-month-old lion cubs, Tau and Napoleon which he later rescued. His early years took place at the Lion Park near the outskirts of his home in Johannesburg. He still runs with the now full grown cubs in the wild. The facility 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 the facility. They also have a volunteer programme which generates income, and volunteers who help to run the sanctuary.

Richardson worked within a 650 hectares (1,600 acres) Lion Park in Broederstroom, a town 35 miles north of his hometown, Johannesburg, in South Africa. Whilst primarily specializing in lions, he has also interacted with hyenas and black panthers. 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 2010 movie White Lion. Richardson cares for thirty-nine lions at this facility. As of 2011 the facility was private, but there were plans to open it to the public. The sanctuary's Web site said in 2020 that it was open for guided group tours and had a volunteering program.

In 2015 the Kevin Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary relocated to Welgedacht Private Game Reserve near Pretoria.

He has slept next to, fed, and lived with lions. He has also worked with cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas. He prefers lions to any other big cat. His relationship with the animals, however, has not been an instant one. He has known all of the lions he works with since they were cubs. He still continues his bond with Tau and Napoleon, the lion brothers who were his introduction to big cats. ...

Source: Article "Kevin Richardson (zookeeper)" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Kevin Richardson est un zoologiste sud-africain né le 8 octobre 1974 à Johannesbourg. Il a mené de nombreuses recherches sur les animaux de la savane, dont les guépards, les léopards, les hyènes et les lions.

Il dirige le Kingdom of the White Lion (le Royaume du lion blanc), situé à vingt kilomètres de Johannesbourg.

Kevin Richardson est issu d'une famille britannique relativement aisée d'Afrique du Sud: sa mère Patricia travaille pour la banque Barclays et son père travaille dans le domaine de la pharmaceutique. Kevin Richardson est le plus jeune de leurs quatre enfants: un frère aîné et deux sœurs (qui sont des jumelles).

Kevin Richardson s'intéresse aux animaux depuis son plus jeune âge.

Kevin Richardson a fait ses débuts à l'université de zoologie de Johannesbourg, où il a étudié la biologie marine, mais ce domaine ne l’intéressant que peu, il décida d'étudier les mammifères. Malgré l'intérêt qu'il porte depuis longtemps à ces animaux, Richardson se rend compte de la difficulté de travailler avec des félins, les ayant toujours considérés comme une distraction. Il décide d'y renoncer et commence à prendre des cours de physiologie et d'anatomie dans son lycée, et entame une nouvelle carrière en physiothérapie. C'est à 23 ans qu'il a de nouveau l'opportunité d'adopter et de travailler avec deux bébés lions appelés Tao et Napoléon. Le non-respect de plusieurs règles de sécurité en vigueur pour l'éducation de ces lionceaux lui a valu de nombreuses critiques de la part de spécialistes de la savane africaine.

La mission de Kevin Richardson consiste à démontrer la possibilité d'établir une relation avec un animal sauvage et à stopper la chasse au lion, dont la population est passée de 350 000 à seulement 25 000 spécimens en moins de 30 ans.

Kevin Richardson est marié et a deux enfants. Son épouse Mandy fait du marketing pour lui et le Lion Park. Ils ont un fils, Tyler, né en 2009, et une fille, Jessica, née en juillet 2013.

Source: Article "Kevin Richardson (zoologie)" de Wikipédia en français, soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA 3.0.