The real Lion King: Why I quit the rat race to live in the African bush

By Amanda Cable
Last updated at 12:31 AM on 23rd January 2010

Evening walks are a delight for David Youldon. But it's not the breathtaking views, the absence of cars or the absolute quiet that set each stroll apart.

Instead, it's the two 300lb lions that prowl beside him that make each evening's perambulation such a treat. The sight of one man and his faithful lions going for a stroll in the wilds of Zambia is extraordinary enough.

But the story of how David gave up a highly paid job and a life of comfort in London to live on £10 a month with wild animals is even more incredible.

So, it's hardly surprising that this softly spoken 'Lion Man' has become the subject of one of the most compelling wildlife series ever.

David's twice-daily walks deep into the African bush are far from recreational. He accompanies young lions that have been born to mothers in captivity as part of a breeding programme.

Because his charges have never been taught to live in the wild by their own mothers, David becomes their surrogate father. He introduces them to the wild, gets to know every facet of their characters and then teaches them the hunting skills they lack.

He does this by seeking out herds of potential prey, such as antelopes, then sitting with the lion cubs as they watch their quarry graze.

At first, the cubs can be scared of unfamiliar animals, but over the weeks, they gradually lose their fear and start to identify, and then chase, weaker, old or injured prey that have wandered away from the herd. Once they have learnt to chase, their natural killing instinct at last kicks in.

Finally, when David's young charges have grown under his proud paternal gaze, he helps to match them with a pride that is about to be released into the wild.

It's a far cry from life behind a desk in London. 'I had a great career as a travel agent,' says David, 'and I'd worked hard to reach the top. I earned £50,000 a year, owned a flat in London and enjoyed the perks of cheap travel, bonuses and great holidays.

But my cosy life began to unravel after the attacks on New York's World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001.

Our main clients were American schoolchildren flying to Europe. Suddenly, the US market collapsed, because parents didn't want their children flying any more.

'Then, as the market went down, I found myself sitting at my desk one afternoon, staring at the projected figures for the following year. I had reached every target from the year before, and had written a neat list of figures detailing every new target I was yet to reach.

'But as I stared at the paper, I suddenly realised that I just didn't care if I made those targets or not. I had met endless budgets before, but my whole future was years of sales figures, and I decided that something had to change.

'I had always wanted to travel to Africa and work with wildlife in some way - even though I had never seen a lion in the wild before. So I decided to sell my flat and my car, leave my job and fly out there on a year-long break.'

Quite how the news went down with his girlfriend and mother, one can only imagine.
David, now 37, says, 'To be honest, I think everyone thought I was insane. They all expected to see me back behind my desk in London within the year. But, even though I had no experience of wildlife in Africa, I had been fascinated by zoology since childhood.

'This was my one chance to see if I could make a difference to endangered species. I wanted to spend a year as a volunteer on a wildlife project. Sadly, my relationship with my girlfriend did not survive my move abroad, but it was something I really had to do.'

After helping on a cheetah research programme in Namibia, David heard about Antelope Park, a huge wildlife conservation area and tourist attraction near Gweru in central Zimbabwe.

The Park is home to the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust (ALERT) and the world's first programme to rehabilitate lions and release them into the wild. 'I was told of its inspirational project,' says David, 'but I had no idea if I would feel any connection with the lions.

'Even so, I contacted the Park and asked if they took on volunteers. They did, so I flew to Zimbabwe.'

He arrived in September 2004 and immediately encountered the two 'problem' children of the project - six-month-old lion cubs, Mustafa and Mel. This brother and sister were aggressive, untamed and united in their dislike of humans.

'Even though I knew nothing about lion behaviour, I decided to try to befriend this pair,' says David.

'I knew they were really difficult - bad- tempered and unwilling - but I had all the time in the world. I began by sitting several hundred yards away from them without moving. I stayed there for hours at a time, with the lions just staring at me. After a few weeks, I moved a few feet closer, and they didn't object. Eventually, I was able to get up close and actually stroke them. This led to me joining in with their games and with them rolling on their backs.'

By now, the sibling lions were ready to join David for walks into the wild, and to learn the skills necessary to survive on their own. For the fast-growing cubs, it was a matter of life and death. If they could not learn the basic lessons of hunting, they would never be able to survive in the wild.
But David's life, too, could have been in danger - a sudden movement, and the lions walking meekly by his side could turn on him.

Fortunately, and to the great surprise of the more experienced lion handlers in the park, Mustafa and Mel were happy to walk with David, enjoying his company with quiet acceptance.

David had discovered his unique gift of communicating with lions. 'When I was offered a full-time job at the park,' says David, 'I couldn't turn it down. I went from earning £50,000 a year back home to surviving on just £10 a month in the African bush. But with the lions walking beside me, I was happier than I had ever been in my whole life.'

Slowly, over the coming months and years, the scores of lion cubs who have bonded with David and joined him on his walks have become like children to him.

He has hundreds of photographs of them - and refers to each one with the fondness of a father.

'It was so hard saying goodbye to Mustafa and Mel when they were released into the wild two and a half years later,' says David, 'but I knew I had to step out of their lives so that they could live like lions, within a pride. I was given three young cubs to raise next - a male called Praise, and two females, Paka and Phyre.

'Phyre's name means burning bright, and I quickly realised that she had a truly complex personality, David continues.

'She was naughty, headstrong and extremely affectionate - but also one of the most naturally aggressive young lions I have ever known. I could never tell what Phyre was going to do next. She was so mischievous that she would run up behind you, plant both massive paws on your bottom and push, and then run away with a wicked glint in her eye.'

Then Phyre reached her 'teenage' years. David sighs with the indulgence of a long-suffering father.

'She was a typical adolescent,' he says, 'Stroppy, emotional and sulky. One minute she was loving and beautiful, the next she was flouncing off in a temper.'

Inevitably, the day came when David had to see his difficult 'teenager' leave for life in the wild with a pride. He says, 'It was tough. It's always tough, because we've been through so much together.

But the great thing about Phyre's explosive personality is that she gets more than her fair share of food, so she will become a good breeding animal. She'll always be better fed than meeker lions, and will produce more milk and protect her cubs ferociously.'

Hunting is a vital skill for any lion living in the wild. Most of the lions at the project are born in captivity and miss out on learning the lessons in survival. This job now falls to David. Recently, he has been ' walking' Jabari and Jelani, two fivemonthold brothers. 'Jabari is bold and playful, and reacts beautifully during our walks in the wild,' says David. 'But Jelani is scared and painfully shy. It will be my job - over the next two and a half years - to teach him how to emerge from his brother's shadow. I do so by sitting quietly, reassuring him that he is safe, and introducing him to water holes and potential prey.'

Not only must David introduce young lions to an outside world, which at first bemuses, and often terrifies them, but he must carefully observe their personalities, so they can be ideally matched with a 'pride' when they are ready to be released into the wild.

'The lions stand a far higher chance of survival if they are part of a pride,' says David. 'But they all have different personalities, and the relationships between them have to work, otherwise they will never accept each other and learn to hunt as a team.'

Only once has he had a cub who was not destined for the wild - a lion who won the hearts of David and the team. 'When the lions grow and return to the wild, our bond is broken forever,' says David. 'But Amanzi was different from any cub I had come across. He was born with health problems, and was a very sickly cub. In the wild, with his extreme digestive problems, he would have died. But, raised in camp, he began to attach himself to us.

'He was so affectionate and sought out our company, so much so that he was like a pet. I couldn't walk very far without Amanzi bounding up beside me, his eyes bright, trying to find out what I was doing. He would sit for hours and listen to me talking. Incredibly, he seemed to understand everything that was going on.

'Amanzi was just 18 months old when we were given two young lions called Nandi and Nduna. These young siblings had no idea how to interact with humans, and I knew that I needed them to join me on walks into the wild if they were ever going to be successfully released.

'Suddenly, I thought of Amanzi, who was quiet, friendly and docile. I put him into the large enclosure with the cubs and all three quickly became friends. Once the two bewildered cubs had put their trust into Amanzi, I knew that it was safe for us all to go out for a walk. We opened the enclosure and Amanzi came bounding up to my side. Nandi and Nduna followed him, and we all set off for a walk. Amanzi followed me, and they followed him. He seemed to understand that it was his job to help get them used to the wild, and he took on his role as mentor with great delight.

'Thanks to Amanzi, the two younger cubs became used to me, and gradually learned their vital hunting and survival skills. But while they thrived enough to be released into the wild, my poor Amanzi grew weaker and weaker. He was just two years old when he died and I was overcome with grief. I have his photograph, and I still miss his physical presence by my side.'

David is now the Chief Operating Officer for ALERT, and he splits his time between its sites at Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe/Zambia border, Antelope Park, and Livingstone in Zambia. He still walks with lions almost every day, but, after they have learnt the skills they need to survive, all human contact is withdrawn and they must hunt for themselves. So when David was told by one of the gamekeepers that Zulu, one of David's beloved young lions, had made his first 'kill', David was unable to hide his delight. 'It's like having a child who has won a race at school,' he says.

'I've been walking into the wild with him for several years, and this moment has been what I've waited for. I'm so proud of Zulu, because it is his first step towards a life in the wild. Sure, I'll be losing him, but, like all of my lions, I'll have his photograph and some of the best memories I could ever hope for.'

Lion Country is on ITV1 on Wednesdays at 7.30pm, http://www.lionalert.org/

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(Submitted by Dave McMann)