Rescued Lion Cub And His Caretaker Share An Incredible Bond

February 14, 2019

Dean Schneider has dedicated his life to protect wildlife.

Originally from Switzerland, Schneider now resides in South Africa where he runs the Hakuna Mipaka wildlife sanctuary.

One of his most popular residents is a lion cub named Dexter.

Schneider posts photos and videos of his incredible bond with Dexter, as well as many other animal species, on his Instagram page.

"Empathy is the key," Schneider says of his bond with Dexter. "To be able to communicate and build a bond with such an animal you first need to understand it and then become that animal. It takes a lot of time, patience and understanding but once that bond is built, it will be unbreakable."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Dean Schneider (@dean.schneider) on

"A male lions LOYALTY lasts for a lifetime. In my opinion lions are the most loyal living being on this planet," he says.

Dexter is currently around 180 pounds.

In his most recent video, Schneider says "I was not sure if I can still handle him jumping on me".

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Dean Schneider (@dean.schneider) on

If this isn't love, I don't know what is.