When it comes to dangerous animals, big cats such as lions, tigers and cheetahs definitely top the list. While their beauty is beyond imagination, these majestic animals aren’t actually cats to live with.
However, this does not prevent Armand Gerber and his wife Beatrice from spending most of their time with the most dangerous wild cats in the world. The couple runs the Iron Throne wildlife and predators park in South Africa, a 200-hectare reserve where ten lions, three tigers, two leopards, and a cheetah live happily among other rescued wild animals.
“All the animals here are born in captivity, 90 percent of them are raised by us, but most importantly, eight of our lions come from a facility that was closed due to poor publicity. In our eyes, they are lifeguards, ”says Arman. “They have a home forever. I had to defend the fact that we have lions every day, but if I could, I would own all the captive lions in the world. ”
The phrase “when a cat is always a cat” never fits better, because Armand admits that all his wild cats love one thing: cuddling. And of course, have fun all day with your human friend. Arman realizes that working with such large animals, which are in fact the main predators, is extremely dangerous. But she states that she really likes being in that position. However, it recognizes that wild animals should be treated with the utmost respect. “Some people think I’m crazy doing this job. Some people think I’m testing my destiny. You must remember that I am doing this for the sake of life, and I am doing it out of love and trust. I forget how lucky I am to work and love these animals. “It’s my family,” said Armand!