This is Tau. He is one of the two oldest Lions here at the Wildlife Sanctuary. He’s also one of the first lions Kevin Richardson worked with at the Lion Park. Kevin Richardson considers Tau and his brother Napoleon a wildlife personnel as his own family as do the lions. This is due to the strong relationship Kevin built with the brothers at a young age. No sticks, declawing, or tooth shaving involved – practices most Lion “sanctuaries” use.
Here, Tau received a few clumps of elephant dung as a means of enrichment. Rumor has it that elephants leave behind pheromones in their dung that lions go absolutely crazy for. It’s like catnip for these large cats. That and it is thought that the scent masks their own during a hunt. This is one of many silly shots I captured during the enrichment.