00:02Yes, you girls are naughty, hey? Now he's gonna go splashing through the mud.
00:16Right, morning everyone. Early start today. Sun's just popping over the horizon.
00:24It's been really, really hot over here of late. And so I decided to take Thor's group out for a
00:34walk very early.
00:42They'll have lots more energy, cooler, nicer for them, nicer for me.
00:49And, yeah, I'm sure they'll get up to a lot more mischief because of the cooler weather.
00:58Hello guys. Oh.
01:09Slowly.
01:12Nezji pezji.
01:15Hello Nezji. Oh.
01:19Hello Jubs. Where are you going?
01:23Everyone's going inside there.
01:27Hello Loli.
01:30I think you guys are all going the wrong direction.
01:33Dory.
01:38Hello big boy.
01:41Hello my boy.
01:42Hey. How are you? How are you?
01:46How are you?
01:48How are you?
01:48Hey, you're my boy.
01:54Alright, let's go boys.
01:55How are you?
01:56How are you?
02:06How are you guys?
02:15He knows what's happening.
02:18How are you?
02:30Oh boy, he's setting them off.
02:36So I actually tried to do things a little bit differently this morning.
02:40I noticed that whenever I come to the main gate to let the bull through into the walking area,
02:46Thor gets a little bit possessive.
02:49Um, especially over Indy.
02:55And so I thought today let me come in the camp from the opposite side and see if we
03:01have any difference in behavior and initially it was good.
03:12But now I'm not so sure because I see he's he's very possessive.
03:20Let me just see how this goes.
03:33I need to go there boy.
03:35Come move.
03:40Move.
03:43Big boy.
03:46I'm not making my life easy.
03:57So, same pattern.
04:04I just don't get it.
04:08Exactly the same behavior.
04:12Come Charlie, you go out.
04:17Come Charles.
04:21Hello my boy.
04:31I just don't get it.
04:34It's like I've got to be out first.
04:39And then he has this little grumpy session.
04:44And then, you know, we get on with the walk.
04:47Okay, we just give him his space until he moves on with life.
04:52Look how pretty that looks guys.
04:54Wow.
04:59So, he's obviously keeping a close eye on Mr. Charles.
05:03Hello big boy.
05:26I don't have an option if they're walking.
05:34from the east to the west this is the path that these guys take and for those of you who
05:42are new
05:43this is a group of lions affectionately called Thor's group it comprises Thor, Charlie there are
05:53two adult male white lions now 12 years of age no 11 years of age
06:07and then there's the girls in the group Indy hello my darling
06:17Indy is one of them a tawny lioness her sister up ahead Lola and then we have Jubari also a
06:28tawny lioness
06:29and then we have Nege is French for snow and Nege is a white lioness so all the similar
06:41ages the only two that are sisters or siblings are Lola and Indy the rest are unrelated and this
06:51group yeah as I say six individuals they really really do need to get out and work off some
07:02of that pent-up energy that that would accumulate just living in a in a smaller area and here at
07:14the
07:14sanctuary by no means are the camps tiny the smallest camps here are one hectare in size but
07:22it's still not big enough to allow the lions to spread their legs and just get some exercise work off
07:32some of that energy and just you know have a good time be a lion for an hour as I
07:39say yeah today's walk
07:44was really about just letting the lions have a bit of fun uh taking them out on a early morning
07:51and uh you know letting them run about while it's still nice and early
08:03and while they've still got energy and while it's not hot because lately the temperatures have been
08:10hitting 40 degrees here at the farm and the humidity is really really high because
08:16um over the last few weeks we've had an enormous amount of rain so things are still a little bit
08:23wet
08:24and damp the rivers are all flowing the dams are all full which is great and uh happy days hello
08:31mr big this
08:32is charles he had he celebrated his birthday yesterday happy birthday big boy where are you going
08:43charlie
08:58and that's causing the electric fence to arc spider it's going to take a stick and knock it off
09:07all right like that the noise is gone
09:12all right guys so
09:15there is something i've been wanting to talk about
09:17a lot um and it has been weighing on me a little bit
09:23it's something that's been cropping up on social media look how pretty neige looks
09:34everyone's so full of beans
09:37it's uh something that's been cropping up on social media
09:55and it's becoming rather annoying
09:59and many of my colleagues and friends uh we've kind of shared it amongst ourselves but
10:07we haven't really um come back at it by by saying anything because
10:16you know we don't want to be reactive i just don't think that's the way
10:21one should be handling um things that you might not agree with so you need to really just
10:33contemplate the what's been said and and think about and think about a measured response
10:39which is kind of a i think wisdom because when i was younger
10:43i probably would have retaliated or reacted
10:50and i probably would have flown off the handle
10:53and uh you know said some things that i probably would have regretted later on
11:01so that is one advantage to getting older guys
11:07um there's many disadvantages
11:09advantages but one of the advantages is i suppose
11:13with the gray hair comes a bit of wisdom
11:17because not the first radio
11:20we've certainly seen how things have played out
11:24previously
11:26in the past
11:50yes you girls are naughty hey so naughty now he's gonna go splashing through the mud
12:04okay
12:05what the do you see what you just started jubari
12:09and that's triggered thaw
12:13you're a nutter jubari
12:19oh
12:39one more
12:49where are you going
12:50where are you going okay you don't want to miss out okay i'm not going there
12:57oh boy okay i'm gonna follow you this way i think this is going to be the safer oh not
13:05not
13:07not really
13:11okay it's like a real marsh here
13:21i'm literally walking oh thank god for my zambalans
13:29walking through the swamp guys oh it really is a swamp look at that oh no man
13:42lowly was your way better
13:48more spider webs wet pants muddy shoes
14:02look at her muddy paws
14:06isn't that what it's about
14:09i'm following you i hope you know where you're going
14:12all right lowly it's just you and me kid
14:16lately
14:18and i'm pretty sure if you
14:20spend any amount of time on instagram
14:24you've come across these posts where
14:27mostly youngsters but
14:30these self-appointed
14:32nature keepers
14:34they hop on the platforms and they
14:37they tell you all the do's and don'ts
14:39about working with wildlife and
14:42about wildlife tourism
14:45and they kind of
14:47tar everyone with the same brush
14:50and i got a call
14:52from a good
14:54friend of mine
14:55and he was really really upset because
14:59his likeness had been used in one of these posts
15:02and a image of him
15:04with an animal
15:06had been taken completely out of context
15:11and he was angry because he was like
15:14who is this person
15:17you know
15:19putting me in the same
15:21category of
15:23as all these people who
15:25are really negatively interacting with
15:27with wildlife and
15:29it's such a
15:31it's such a
15:33contextual thing
15:35this whole issue
15:38of interacting with
15:41wildlife
15:43and this whole
15:45new age approach
15:48of
15:49just
15:50everything must be
15:51hands-off
15:52don't touch
15:53don't look
15:55stay away
15:56sanitize it
15:58and i just looked at this
16:00and he and he wanted the
16:01the post to be removed
16:02and i said listen bud
16:02you can't really
16:04remove the
16:05the post
16:06she's not really
16:07having a
16:08dig at you personally
16:11uh
16:11she's just
16:12generically speaking
16:14about
16:14in her opinion
16:15what
16:16is right
16:17and what is wrong
16:18and so i thought
16:18let me take today
16:20take the opportunity
16:22today
16:22to
16:23to speak about it
16:24and to speak about the truths
16:27of
16:29wildlife
16:30um
16:31and interacting with wildlife
16:33and you know
16:34i fall into that category
16:36guys because
16:37the lions in my care
16:38i interact with
16:39they are wild animals
16:41i get it
16:43i get it all the time
16:44from the naysayers
16:45because
16:46you know
16:46their feelings are
16:48i shouldn't be
16:49so
16:51they don't
16:52take any
16:54of
16:55the history
16:56into context
16:57all they do is
16:58they look at the
16:59now
17:00and then they want
17:01to make it
17:01very black and white
17:03and make it very easy
17:05and it's not
17:05easy
17:07and it's not black and white
17:08okay
17:09so
17:10bear with me
17:14as lowly goes
17:17stalking
17:20some game birds
17:31i just love that
17:34that naughtiness
17:35it's so cute
17:37all right so there's a narrative that keeps on resurfacing
17:40and that people see me interacting with lions
17:45somehow makes them think
17:46that it's okay to keep one as a pet
17:50and i think
17:51that idea isn't just wrong
17:55it's dangerously simplistic
17:58all right so let me be clear guys lions are not pets
18:01they never have been and
18:04honestly they they never will be
18:07nor should they be
18:08in most countries
18:10it is illegal to own one
18:13elsewhere in the world
18:14it's
18:15requires strict permitting
18:17professional facilities
18:19veterinary oversight
18:20and a lifelong commitment
18:22to the animal's welfare
18:24what i do
18:25over here at the sanctuary is not ownership
18:28it's responsibility
18:30and it's a duty of care
18:32and it's been built on
18:34nearly 28 years
18:35years of full-time work
18:37experience
18:38mistakes
18:38injuries
18:39learning
18:40permits
18:41staff
18:42vets and a lifelong commitment
18:44to the animals that cannot
18:46be released into the wild
18:49my foundation survives
18:51because people connect
18:52without that connection ethical conservation
18:56disappears
18:56and when that disappears
18:58the animals will always lose
19:01so no
19:02my work does not promote
19:03the exotic pet trade
19:05as some would believe
19:06it actually stands
19:07against it
19:08it promotes respect
19:10responsibility
19:11and protection for those wonderful
19:13animals
19:14and while some critics come and go
19:17I'll still be here
19:18I'll be paying the bills
19:20burying the dead
19:21and fighting
19:23for the living
19:24guys that's not a narrative
19:27that's a lifetime
19:30thanks for listening to my ramble
19:32while the lions go on
20:06yeah i think the
20:08animals certainly agree with my
20:10ramble
20:13wow
20:17um
20:18yeah
20:20amazing
20:33yeah
20:34yeah
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