Gimme a kiss

The king of the jungle showed his romantic side when he reached through the bars of his cage in Cali, Colombia, and clasped Ana Julia Torres in his giant paws to give her a kiss.

Ms Torres earned the affection of Jupiter, a 110kg (242lb) African lion, by nursing him back to health after rescuing him from a circus. He is one of about 800 maltreated residents at her Villa Lorena animal shelter in a poor suburb of the city.

Ms Torres, a teacher who began nursing abused animals ten years ago, says that she takes in everything from limbless flamingos to blind monkeys.

Jupiter is relatively lucky compared with a mountain lion that had been kept illegally as a pet. Its two front legs were hacked off after it clawed at a family member’s face.

Ms Torres funds the shelter with her salary, bolstered by donations. But she is adamant that it will not open to the public. “We want the animals to live in peace. This is a paradise where they can finally rest.”

The story

The king of the jungle doesn't frighten the lion whisperer

Animal behaviourist Kevin Richardson has such an intimate bond with big cats that he can spend the night curled up with them without the slightest fear of attack.

Richardson, 32, who is based in a wildlife conservation area near Johannesburg in South Africa, works his unusual magic on other species too. Cheetahs, leopards and even unpredictable hyenas hold no threats for him.



But lions are his favourite. He lavishes them with unconditional love, he says, treating each individual differently, speaking to them, caressing them and, above all, treating them with respect.



A former student of human physiology who once worked with pre and post-operative human patients, Kevin turned to animals ten years ago when he came to the conclusion that he could trust a lion over one of his own kind.



Kevin says he is most confident with animals he has known since birth, but claims he can become close friends with any lion less than a year old, when it is still flexible enough to accept him as part of its own pride.