Lions, like most big cats, are beautiful animals— but they’re also incredibly dangerous. The lion isn’t known as the ‘King of the Jungle’ for nothing. Lions can weigh anywhere from 265 to 420 pounds, and can grow to be over 6 feet in length! If you still think you want to test your luck with these bad boys, Live Science reminds us that they can run 50 miles per hour, and can leap as far as 36 feet.
Despite the fact that lions are dangerously wild, one petite woman has managed to make herself the Queen of this South African pack. Meet Or Lazmi, an animal trainer and manager at Seaview Predator Park.
The privately-owned park is located in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. And here, Lazmi has been caring for a group of lions since they were just cubs.
Because Lazmi has been around for the cubs’ entire lives, they respect her and consider her to be a dominant member of their pride. In fact, Lazmi is so confident about the lions’ behavior that others are invited to walk right into their pens if she is around!
In this video by Animal Planet, Lazmi tells a reporter the situation “would be a different story” if she weren’t in the pen with the animals. However, it seems that the tiny animal trainer’s presence really keeps the lions calm.
When asked how she has managed to form such a close relationship with, what are essentially, wild animals, Lazmi has an enlightening response:
“We respect them as wild animals, to start off with. I think that’s one of the key points. We don’t train them; we don’t do anything like that.”
“You basically need to earn their trust and their respect. They’ve known me as a constant dominant figure in their life since they were babies, and that’s why I’m able to go up so close to them now.”
As Lazmi mentioned, recognizing the innate power of a lion is one of the first steps in interacting. Luke Dollar, a conservation scientist, told Smithsonian Magazine, “Almost any organism around lions might be a potential prey time, and for people to think that they are an exception is folly.”
It’s so amazing to see how much these giant felines respect their tiny caregiver. Despite their unbelievable strength, these cats seem completely content and peaceful in her presence. They snuggle up close and give her big lion kisses.
See for yourself below!
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