The story of a remarkable young hyena and one man’s quest to change people’s misconceptions of these remarkable animals. In tales of courage and strength in the animal kingdom it is the lion that is crowned king of the beasts; its rival the hyena, is left with a more tarnished image. Always the scavenger, always the villain, the hyena has traditionally been feared and loathed as the embodiment of evil. There are a few people who have set out to change those misconceptions. One of them is, Kevin Richardson from the Lion Park near Johannesburg, South Africa. He has a truly unique bond with the hyenas he cares for, so much so, that he is almost an honorary member of the clan.

 

 

 

2. Dangerous Companions

Kevin Richardson, animal behaviorist, works with some of the most dangerous animals known to man. He sleeps with lions, cuddles newborn hyenas and swims with lionesses. Kevin Richardson, self taught animal behaviorist, works with some of the most dangerous animals known to man. Rather than train the animals he persuades them. To do this he uses his own unusual methods. He uses, love, understanding and trust and has developed some very close bonds with these animals. He has become many things: a trusted ally, the dominant male of a clan of hyenas, a brother. But most of all he is well loved and trusted by his animal friends. He sleeps with lions, cuddles newborn hyenas and swims with lionesses.

 

 

 

3. In Search of a Legend

Passion, dedication and sacrifice: A tale of one man’s journey to find the elusive black leopard.

 

The black leopard, silent, solitary and magnificent. It has to be one of the most elusive animals in the world…and feared by all. From the cold temperatures of Europe to the hotter climates of Africa there have been reports that people have seen this infamous creature. But a small farming town called Lydenberg in the North East of South Africa has had more sightings in the last 50 years then anywhere else in the world.

 

‘In Search of a Legend” heads to Lydenberg to talk to the people and hopefully catch a glimpse of the black leopard. Meet Kevin Richardson, ‘The Leopard Man’. He has an uncanny ability to communicate with leopards and other large carnivores. Kevin’s work at the Kingdom of the White Lion brings him contact with many amazing creatures, but he has formed a unique relationship with two black leopards, Coal and Nikita. Having reached sexual maturity these two are ready to mate. It’s a moment Kevin has been waiting for. Will Nikita get pregnant and increase the number of these extremely rare animals.

 

His love for these animals has taken him out of the Kingdom of the White Lion and deep into the African mountains. How could so many sightings have been recorded in one small farming town in South Africa? He wants to know more. Why do they exist, how many and where? His mission is to find a black leopard but along the way he puts himself in the firing line to protect these animals from their biggest enemy-Man!

 

About a year ago, film started to circulate on YouTube ® of a remarkable man named Kevin Richardson, an animal custodian in a South African animal park. The film showed Richardson in his day-to-day work, looking some of the world's most dangerous animals directly in the eye, crouching down at their level, playing with them and, sometimes, even kissing them on the nose--all without ever being attacked or injured. The films popularity skyrocketed and Richardson became an international sensation. In “Part of the Pride”, Kevin Richardson tells the story of his life and work, how he grew from a young boy who cared for so many animals that he was called “The Bird Man of Orange Grove to an adolescent who ran wild and, finally, to a man who is able to cross the divide between humans and predators.

 

As a self-taught animal behaviorist, Richardson has broken every safety rule known to humans when working with these wild animals. Flouting common misconceptions that breaking an animal’s spirit with sticks and chains is the best way to subdue them, he uses love, understanding and trust to develop personal bonds with them. His unique method of getting to know their individual personalities, what makes each of them angry, happy, upset, or irritated-just like a mother understands a child-has caused them to accept him like one of their own into their fold. Like anyone else who truly loves animals, Richardson allows their own stories to share center stage as he tells readers about Napoleon and Tau, the two male lions he calls his” brothers”; the amazing Meg, a lioness Richardson taught to swim; the fierce Tsavo who savagely attacked him; and the heartbreaking little hyena called Homer who didn’t live to see his first birthday. Richardson also chronicles his work on the forthcoming feature film “White Lion” and has a lot to say about the state of lion farming and hunting in South Africa today. In “Part of the Pride”, Richardson, with novelist Tony Park, delves into the mind of the big cats and their world to show readers a different way of understanding the dangerous big cats of Africa.

5. White Lion - Home ... is a Journey

A feature film produced by Kevin on the adventurous journey of a rare white lion cub called Letsatsi who must rise up above all challenges, to become one of the most powerful and revered lions in all of Africa.

 

For more information visit our website www.whitelionthemovie.com

 

 

 

 

6. Ingwe Leopard Project

A conservation project aimed at protecting wild leopard in the Mpumulanga Lydenberg area. The aim of the Ingwe Leopard project is to create a substantial database on the numbers and migrations of leopard in the Lydenberg area. Part of this project is to scour over 80 000 ha of land in the hope of confirming the existence of the famed black leopard.

 

For more information visit their website www.ingweleopard.org.za

 

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