Meet the man who spends time hugging lions and tigers

When it comes to dangerous animals, large felines like lions, tigers or cheetahs are definitely at the top of the list. Although their beauty is beyond imagination, these majestic animals are not the type of cats to be around.
However, this does not prevent Armand and his wife from spending most of their time with the most dangerous wild cats in the world. The couple runs a sanctuary where ten lions, three tigers, two leopards, and a cheetah live happily among other rescued wildlife.

“All the animals here are born in captivity, 90 percent of them remain with us, but most importantly, eight of our lions come from a facility that was closed due to bad publicity. In our opinion, this is salvation,” he said. “They have an eternal home. 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 saying «once a cat, always a cat» fits perfectly, as man admits that all of his wild cats love one thing: cuddling. And, of course, play with your human friend all day long.
Man understands that working with such large animals, which are the main predators, is extremely dangerous. But he states that he enjoys being in this position. However, he acknowledges that wild animals should be treated with the utmost respect.

“Some people think I’m crazy because of this job. Some people think that I’m testing my fate. You must remember that I do this for a living and do it out of love and trust. I forget how lucky I am to be able to work and love these animals. They are my family.”