Q: Still, there are people who have criticized this show, including the head of Panthera, a large-cat conservation group, who says you’ve put the lions in more danger by conditioning them to accept people.
A: Oh, Luke [Hunter]. I know him. He’s definitely vying for the political side of the conservation world. And I think he just didn’t understand the situation. If he’d watched the show a little more closely, it’s all explained, why I had to do the things I did, use the methods I did. There’s no way to debate that I saved this pride of lions. They were going to be killed.
Q: What does your family think of this?
A: My family is pretty understanding. They know this is my passion. They came to see the first show I ever did that season at Wonderland. And they told me that they were glad that I love what I do, but that they never wanted to see it live again. If I’m home sitting next to them, they’ll watch the TV shows, happily. But when I go out to film, I tell them very little. They have found their comfort in a lack of knowledge.
Q: What are you going to do when you get old? Hire someone else to wrestle the lions?
A: Maybe. I own a production company. I can imagine myself going back to school—maybe I’ll ask Luke Hunter to be my thesis adviser. I don’t think I’ll ever walk away from animals altogether, but physically at some point I’ll have to call it a day. I can’t do this forever.
