The Lion Park, north of Johannesburg, is home to an impressive assortment of animals and a huge hit with visitors from far and wide

The park has other animals including cheetahs

T

HE lions devour the huge slab of horsemeat, then lie lazily in the sun. On the other side of the fence that separates prey from predator, a herd of zebras huddle together and drink from a nearby river. A giraffe grazes on a treetop.

 Watching this array of animals at the Lion Park, nestled on the rural outskirts of Fourways, it's hard to believe you're within the borders of a concrete city like Johannesburg.

 The expansive park is home to an impressive assortment of animals, including a large population of rare white lions, wild dogs, spotted hyenas, the rare black leopards, cheetahs and numerous antelope.

Park manager, Ian Melass, says Johannesburg residents are among many of the 160 000 people who visit the park every year, eager to learn about the more than 108 lions - arguably the most famous member of the Big Five - that live on their doorsteps.

And schoolchildren - largely from townships like Soweto and Alexandra - are the most regular visitors. Here they are given a rare chance to touch lion cubs being hand-raised by park volunteers like Jade, an Irish student.

"We would never have the opportunity to interact with lions in Ireland," she says.

"It's hard at first to hand-rear the cubs - you have to get to know the animals so that they can trust you. South Africans are so lucky to have wildlife. We don't have many wild animals in Europe."

It is rumoured that the MGM lion, which made Hollywood movies synonymous with its roar in the 1960s, was from the park. Today some of the park's more sociable lions - and leopards, cheetah and wild dog - are following in his movie star footsteps, says Melass.

They have become celebrities in their own right, starring in feature films and TV commercials. Park authorities insist that the lion actors are "tamed, not trained".

Visitors are able to get close to the animals

 Educating people about the wonders of nature is vital to conserve South Africa's wildlife, says Melass. "Without education, people wouldn't have an appreciation for wildlife. So many young kids from places like Soweto come here to see lions for the first time.

"They have never touched an animal before. This kindles something inside of them, which will hopefully grow into a love for the environment as they get older."

Most South Africans, he says, can't afford to venture to tourist hotspots like the Kruger National Park. "People always complain and say zoos and parks like ours are no good, but without them we could kiss our wildlife goodbye. If you don't have early education like this, who the hell will climb in their 4X4s and go to the Kruger?"

This is precisely what British circus, Chipperfields, had in mind when it created the park in the 1960s. "They saw the park as an opportunity for tourism and education. There were so many national parks in Gauteng and South Africa, but no parks focusing only on protecting lions," says Melass.

Ironically, the park's first lion was not African but Scottish - after arriving from a zoo in Glasgow. Today many of the park's lions come from zoos across the world, including Paris and Belgium.

While the park owners have changed over the years, the principle remains the same - to educate and conserve a species under growing threat. Only 25 000 lions are left in the wild - mostly in Africa.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature classifies lions as a vulnerable species, mostly due to habitat destruction and hunting.

There are 14 white lions in the park

 The park is also home to 14 of the only 50 rare white lions that remain in the world - all in captivity. Their white coat is due to a recessive gene carried by some lions, and their eyes are a lighter yellow than those of their more tawny counterparts.

In 1975 game ranger Chris McBride came across what were reportedly the first "snow" lions in the world, while studying a pride of lions in Timbavati in the Lowveld. The three cubs he spotted were darted and relocated to Pretoria and Johannesburg Zoos for a breeding programme. History was made.

Melass says the park got its first white lion in 2001 when it adopted Thor, an elderly white lion who had lived at the Johannesburg Zoo for most of his life.

"The zoo said Thor would never breed again. He was very car shy when he came here, but we gave him a large enclosure and five gorgeous lady lions. Five months later, he was already a dad. Our white lions come from him."

Most of the park's African lions are the offspring of lions from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, northern Gauteng and Zimbabwe.

New male lions are introduced to the park's family to keep gene pools intact. Melass says the park runs breeding research programmes - including banking sperm from genetically valuable males - to help conserve the species and prevent inbreeding.

"Lions in the wild live for up to 12 years," says Melass. "But lions in captivity live double that. They are fed and loved here. You talk to my lions - they'll tell you that they're never going to leave!"

For most of his childhood, Melass had nightmares about lions - but today this 61-year-old counts the big cats among his "best friends". He has spent the past five years of his retirement caring for the park's 108 African lions and rare white lions.

"I'm so privileged," he says. "Not many people get up in the morning and love what they do…but I'm cautious. You can't just walk around these lions like you are taking a stroll on the beach."

Still, it appears as if Melass is fearless. He gets out of his bakkie in one of the park's extensive lion enclosures and rubs the mane of a large white male lion. Suddenly it pounces on top of him and Melass is pinned to the ground, seemingly minutes away from being eaten.

But there is nothing to worry about. "We are just greeting each other," says Melass, speaking fondly to the playful lion. "Hello, my beautiful child," he croons.

Although most of the park's lions are tame, lions are, after all, still lions. "There's no question how loving and forgiving lions are. No lion will just come and attack you. It will warn you first by growling at you. They are truly wonderful animals," he says.

For more information on the Lion Park, phone 011 460 1814.