The Kevin Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary transforms the way humans think, interact and behave toward the keeping of large carnivores. The sanctuary’s ultimate goal is to minimize the number of large carnivores being kept in captivity and to highlight the direct link between the cub petting industry and the ‘canned’ hunting industry, by educating the unsuspecting public to the horrors associated with this unscrupulous practise. Ultimately we would like to see both practises made illegal. The sanctuary aims to maximize efforts towards keeping carnivores in their natural habitats and is currently home not only to  lion, but spotted hyena, striped hyena and black leopard.

The lion population occupies less than 20% of its former range in Africa. Numbers are estimated between 15 000 and 30 000 depending on who is asked. This is alarming on its own. If allowed to carry on declining at the current rate we will have no lions left in the wild in as few as 20 years.

Our vision is to raise awareness about the plight of lions and other carnivores in the wild and help prevent their habitat loss via human encroachment and conflict (revenge killing), unscrupulous hunting and illegal trade. The sanctuary’s efforts are buttressed by its many collaborative efforts with other like-minded international organizations that provide care, support, academic and scientific research and other such programs that support the shared values of the sanctuary.

The sanctuary provides the animals in its care the ability to live out full lives, in an open and natural environment, by providing cutting edge enrichment programs and health care. Education of both adults and children are at the bedrock of how the sanctuary aims to accomplish its goals via documentaries, social media and tourism. In its local area of Tswane, it aims to help raise awareness of the carnivore’s plight amongst school children and their parents by teaching them that biodiversity and the future of wildlife is in their hands and the difference they can make both individually and collectively. It is through education that the sanctuary aims to be able to transform attitudes and misconstrued ideas of carnivores, and illuminate the desperate plight of the lion and their carnivore cousins.

$1 or even £1 from each person, will help save these lions.

To donate, go to: http://www.lionwhisperer.co.za