Part of the Pride: My Life Among the Big Cats of Africa [Hardcover]

Kevin Richardson (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 1, 2009

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 “The 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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In his first book, lion keeper and animal behaviorist Richardson, a popular YouTube fixture with a feature film on the way, chronicles his life and career while explaining his unique ability to gain the trust of predators like lions and hyenas. Working at the South African Lion Park and the Kingdom of the White Lion sanctuaries, Richardson has been accepted by some of his lions as a brother, "sometimes even a father... a friend to others, and an acquaintance to the rest." Native South African Richardson mingles with his animals freely; though he has been attacked, he credits his "lifelong love-affair with dangerous things" for his ability to keep cool. (Although, on being nearly mauled to death early in his career, he says, "What do you do when a lion is trying to eat you? Anything you can think of.") After leaving university, Richardson met Rodney Fuhr of the Lion Park, located in the Johannesburg suburbs, and worked his way from staff physical fitness coach to full-time animal trainer and film-maker. An engrossing account of a young life in Africa, this adventurous tale also provides amazing insight into the minds of Africa's most beautiful and dangerous creatures. Color photos.

Review

“Animal behaviorist Kevin Richardson has such an intimate bond with big cats that he can spend the night curled up with them without the slightest fear of attack…So instinctively in tune is he with these beasts whose teeth are sharp enough to bite through thick steel, that mother hyenas even allow him to hold their newborn cubs without pouncing to the rescue.”-- Glenys Roberts, The Daily Mail (UK)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312556748
• ISBN-13: 978-0312556747
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #386,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Part of the solution in sustaining the pride September 20, 2009

By Deborah Verlen TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Like many, I've followed Kevin Richardson on YouTube with the various videos featuring him and his lions and hyenas. This book expands on the downloads and the documentary Dangerous Companions.

Kevin co-exists with his lions, cheetahs, hyenas and other animals in his protected South African animal park. He rules with love and respect combining science and psychology in the process. The animals in the park are the lions, the hyenas and others that can't be released into the wild for one reason or another.

The book is written with humor, compassion and understanding. As you follow Kevin through his childhood love with animals, his brushes and fascination with danger, and his maturity as he becomes the man he is--you come away with the sense that sometimes a person is predestined to do whatever it is they are doing. Richardson began his journey with the pride with two lion cubs ten years ago.

His lions Tau, Napoleon, Meg, Amy and Pelokyhale take on personalities as do the hyenas Trelli, Geena and the rest of the crew. He manages each animal with a knowledge of species behavior and also knowledge of the personality of each animal. For instance, pack structure is extremely important in hyena hierarchy. The more important your status, the more you can basically get away with. His hyena pack is led by the feisty Geena who constantly challenges and tests his ability to be in her presence. Richardson combines his knowledge of how hyenas interact based on scientific knowledge and how his Geena reacts within those guidelines.

If you have seen the videos on YouTube, it is amazing to see him wrestling with his lion pride members. The book expands on the personalities of the lions and Kevin's interaction with them. Your understanding of why Kevin takes the controlled risks that he does (especially having been attacked by a lion early on) will have you thanking fate that someone cares enough to do what he does. Your understanding of hyenas who are often maligned and lions who are often thought of as indiscriminate attackers--increases.

In the last decade the lion population worldwide has gone from over 300,000 individuals to less than 23,000. Poaching and encroachment are decimating the population. It is very possible that any future lion interactions will be in a protected animal park like the one Kevin is with. The more people like Kevin can help others understand the species that make up our earth, the better chance they will have at long term survival. Kevin and Tony Parks, his co-author have done an admirable job furthering this understanding.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite Interesting - December 8, 2009

By Loyd E. Eskildson HALL OF FAME

Format:Hardcover

Kevin Richardson has a life doing what he loves - taking care of big carnivores and their small cubs. His early life included lots of taking care of sick or abandoned animals, and two failed attempts to follow his older brother into veterinary school. Fortunately, Kevin ended up meeting a person who had just bought a nearby animal park.

Kevin explains why it is important to know the animals and their different personalities. He learned to related to them as a fellow lion - getting down on all fours, touching them, rubbing heads together, and using a toothbrush to 'lick' their faces after they licked his (painful). The bulk of "Part of the Pride" consists of his experiences providing unarmed (no sticks, guns, whips) enrichment for the lions and hyenas on the property, along with a number of often painful (sometimes to others) lessons learned. His explanations of the lions' actions is straightforward and sensible - per Kevin, they're not that different from humans, with sometimes temper tantrums.

The photos in "Part of the Pride" made up an especially enjoyable part of the book - ranging from showing him resting with, playing with and being 'attacked' by the lions and their cubs, carrying a hyena, and their enormous claws.

Kevin was told many 'rules' about working with lions - most of which he found to be false. His rules, assimilated from ten-some years experience are: 1)Don't wake a lion when it's sleeping. 2)Don't come near a lion when it is eating. 3)Don't surprise a lion - let it know you're coming. 4)Leave when they tell you they've had enough. One he left out - start out while they're young and treat them with respect, almost as peers.

An enjoyable book with and enviable story.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing story October 27, 2009

By Ingeborg S. Skliros

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was curious about Kevin Richardson when I first saw some videos of him with his lions on YouTube, so when this book came out, I knew I had to read it. It is a compelling account of a man who has a unique approach to dealing with wild predators - whether they be lions, hyenas, leopards or jackals. But it's his extraordinary relationship with his lions that brings this story to life. A child who was always interested in creatures - creepy-crawly to mammals - Kevin grows up experimenting with different ways to relate to his charges. He moves on instinct alone, and achieves extraordinary results, much to the surprise of other lion wranglers. He has his share of close encounters, but never blames the animal, but rather himself for not reading the lion's mood and behavior correctly. This is a wonderful, readable account of of an exceptional man and his lions and hyenas. Highly recommended!