Have you ever imagined how it would feel to live with lions, the most dangerous predators in the world?

Just thinking about standing close to these big cats will give a person goosebumps. So, what if we tell you that there is a person living with a clan of lions.

Dean Schneider is a Swiss person who gave up his luxurious life to educate people about animals. His main goal is to tell people that animals are not something to be scared of; instead, we can and should have a relationship with them. He developed a massive sanctuary in South Africa that has some exotic and wild animals that no one could think of living with. However, Dean Schneider is harmoniously breaking all the stereotypes and living with these wild animals. He is not admitting that the lions can be dangerous, but he is showing the affectionate side of these wild animals as well.

Here you will find how Dean Schneider developed a strong bond with the lions and is now happily living and caring for such animals.

Who is Dean Schneider?

Dean Schneider is a person who is very much attached to animals and loves to take care of them. He is a Swiss person famous for his interactions with lions and other wild animals.

Dean Schneider had a joyful and comfortable life in Switzerland. He studied finance, and at the age of 21, he also became an entrepreneur. Schneider was a banker and financial planner who appointed fifty employees to work with him. However, he was not satisfied with his life in Switzerland. He wanted something more in his life, so he left everything back in Switzerland and shifted to South Africa in 2017.

Dean started a sanctuary and a rehabilitation center in South Africa called Hakuna Mipaka. This is where lions, zebras, dogs, hyenas, baboons, cheetahs, and many other animals live in captivity. He wanted to make this place mainly to allow humans to interact with the wildlife while giving these animals natural habitat.

Dean Schneider is very dedicated to his work, and he spends almost seven hours on a daily basis posting content on social media platforms. He has a team that makes excellent quality content that helps humans understand the wildlife. Furthermore, he was featured in many newspapers and awarded trophies for his work.

Dean Schneider and his bond with Lions:

Even though there are a lot of animals in the Hakuna Mipaka sanctuary, Dean Schneider got a lot of fame because of his binding with the lion pride. The lion pride at the refuge consists of 6 members. Three of them are female, and three of them are male. Three female members are Kheliise, Nyla, and Kiara. At the same time, the male members of this pride are Dexter, Snow, and Leo.

Dexter was the first lion that Dean bought in the Hakuna Mipaka. He was a tiny cub when he stepped foot in this sanctuary; since then, he has been the start of this place. Dean was basically by the side of Dexter as he grew up, and mentally, they had a bond that not everyone can have with lions. Dean never tried to change the instinct of the lions; instead, he constantly wanted to give them an environment that was as close as the lions would have if they were free.

400 acres of land is just for these six lions to enjoy their life as accessible as possible. They get to feed on the dead zebras, cows, etc., so that their natural instincts remain intact.

Dean always tried to adjust himself to this pride rather than making them adjust according to the human’s will. He never manipulated their habits, never changed their way of living. This is because he wants humans to know the natural and authentic way of the lion’s life. He wants people to know that as scary as these animals are, it is possible for humans to live in harmony with them.

If you check Dean’s Instagram and Youtube channel, you will see him playing with the lions, feeding them, sleeping with them, and whatnot. This shows that if you have a will and you are with the lions for a very long time, there is a possibility that they might also get accustomed to you. Dean has always been patient and dedicated that now the lions and other animals understand him and love him as much as Dean adores them.

But it is essential to know that these wild animals are not supposed to be kept in captivation. So don’t think you can go to a jungle and be best friends with a lion. It needs a lot of dedication, patience, and love for the animals to trust you and be a part of their clan.