Part of the Pride

Kevin Richardson has been dubbed 'The Lion Whisperer'. It's a title he's uncomfortable with, but how else can you label his extraordinary relationship with these majestic yet deadly animals.

As a zoologist and animal behaviourist, he works at a lion park in South Africa. Here he has formed incredible relationships with the big cats - playing with them, lying down with them, being included in every area of there lives as 'part of the pride'. Those who work with lions in the traditional way - using sticks, chains and coercion - call him crazy. But Kevin's ability to get inside the head of a lion, using love, patience and a unique empathy has kept him safe in situations that would result in certain death for anyone else.

This is Kevin's incredible story, and the story of the animals he lives and works with: 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. It is a fascinating and heart-warming account of how a man can become part of a l ion pride, and an incredible insight into the lives of one of the world's most beautiful and powerful predators.