Part of the Pride - by Kevin Richardson & Tony Park (Paperback)

About the Book

Refuting the idea that breaking an animal's spirit is the best way to subdue it, Richardson shows these animals to be complex creatures capable of human-like bonds. Here, Richardson delves into the minds of the big cats to show how he had become a part of the pride.

Book Synopsis

In "Part of the Pride", Kevin Richardson, recently dubbed "The Lion Man" on 60 Minutes, tells the story of how he grew from a young boy who loved animals to become a man able to cross the divide between humans and predators, looking some of the world's most dangerous animals directly in the eye, playing with them and even kissing them on the nose-all without ever being attacked or injured. 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 has caused them to accept him like one of their own into their fold. Richardson allows the animals' own stories to share center stage as he tells readers about Napoleon and Tau, the two 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. 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.

Review Quotes

"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)

“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)

About the Author

KEVIN RICHARDSON is a world renowned wildlife conservationist and filmmaker, recognized by his persona as the 'Lion Whisperer'. His mission is to highlight the status of the Africa's most iconic predator, the lion, through his work in the media and alongside fellow campaigners, researchers and scientists. In June 2014 he launched his own YouTube channel Lion Whisperer TV introducing the world to his lions and work on a daily basis.

TONY PARK is the author of multiple other books set in Africa, including Ivory, Silent Predator and African Sky. He splits his time between Africa and his home in Australia.