The Man Who Tickles and Plays with Hyenas 

"What do you get out of it?" what a stupid question..he plays with fuckin lions and hyenas

I remember watching him and he said something along the lines of "even if something went wrong and I got killed by these animals, if I had a chance to come back, I would do it all over again." He knows what he is doing is dangerous. But he is doing what he loves.

Them Hyenas be like: This tall naked hyena is really good at scratching the hard fo reach places. He cool.

This guy is playing with freakin' Hyenas meanwhile I can't even pet my cat without it hissing at me.

I think what people should take from this is not that Hyenas are not dangerous, but that they aren't monsters. They're animals with feelings and relationships just like us.

Never realized they were that big

Hyenas are one of the most powerful land predators in the world, and extremely dangerous in most circumstances, but what people do forget is that these are pack animals and they are social animals, much more like wolves than say, a bear or a leopard. They remember individuals and can form lasting relationships through experience. Yes, what he’s doing is still incredibly risky, but it’s very obvious he has worked with this pack for a very long time and they recognize and are familiar with him. They don’t associate him as prey and if he’s careful they won’t ever associate him as a threat.

I like how he said that he's not the "hyena whisperer". He knows what they're capable of, and he has no delusions of grandeur about himself.

Lets be honest here, hyenas get a bad rep because of The Lion King.

Watching these videos about humans giving hyenas belly rubs, play with lions and swim with polar bears and I can't even make my dog stop shitting in my bed 😔

Ceasar Millan: I'm a Dog whisperer Kevin Richardson: hold my Beer

Hyena: have one of the deadliest bite and probably hazardous saliva. Human: *pat pat*

They are much bigger then I expected seeing them together with a human. Beautiful animals

I was hopping they laughed the way hyenas laugh in the lion king lmao

Jesus they are large. I´ve never realized that hyenas are that big.

I don't care what people say. I think hyenas are adorable. Their big, teacup ears are so cute!! and their darkened faces almost look German Shepherd-like.

Fun fact: Spotted Hyenas have the most powerful jaws of all mammals.

either his height is short or those hyenas are just huge! damn! didn't thought they were this big lol.

This is completely dangerous. What were those hyenas thinking playing around with that *MAN?*

It must be so difficult for him to walk.. With those *BALLS* *OF* *STEEL*

good lord those hyenas are big. these hyenas have spectacular bite force compared to their size.

I love him and his animals. he and his animals have a close and inseparable relationship

I love how even as he's playing with them he's adamant that it's the result of a years long bond and not something he could magically do with any hyena. He's so attuned to their individual temperaments yet at the same time acknowledges that they're animals with animal impulses.

Hyenas are friggin adorable!

He's got to have a huge set of balls to be doing something like that!

I really enjoyed how this interview was set up. They’re both there, live, on location, she’s asking the questions directly to his face and he’s answering and at the same time demonstrating his craft in a calm, casual manner.

Him playing with some of the most dangerous and strategic hunting animals in the world Me: They are so cute!!!

"Once you build that trust, you can really..." *Hyena attacks him*

I find this video so funny cause when she's talking, she talks about them like they're super dangerous and then they show him holding them in the weirdest and the calmest way possible 😂😂😂

If Scar came by and tried to get them to kill Mufasa, Kevin would be like "fuck off!"

Kevin is amazing I hope he lives long and stays safe even tho he is doing something really dangerous

It's not hard to watch this and imagine the kind of processes early humans went through to domesticate canines

Im gonna stop killing hyenas in assassins creed now

3:47 *hyena walks up to cage* Hyena: What is that thing you are holding?

She keeps asking "what do you get out of it" I mean just the bragging rights, "hey imma go play with some hyenas"

I paralize when I meet a cow or even a rooster. My boy Kevin casually plays with an entire hyena clan and takes his lions for a walk... When God was distributing courage, Kevin must have taken my share.

He should have been the negotiator with Harambe.

Damn i didn't know Hyenas were that big

I still miss seeing the other cut where it ends with the hyena coming up to the camera putting his head up towards the interviewer and just being all cute in front of her.

They are just downright majestic

I have seen an interview with Kevin in which he tolds that Hyenas broke him his arms 2 or 3 times while "playing"… Only because their jaw is much stronger then the Lions is…But i like these animals somehow… 😉

Thank you, Kevin Richardson, for doing what you can to help bring awareness that Hyena are not just scavengers and "monsters," but instead are complex and beautiful wild creatures that should be treated with respect, wisdom and care, as should all the Animal Kin of the/our Planet Earth. Bless your good heart and all your good work.

Oooh, the cuteness when he rubbed his belly!

I love what Kevin Richardson and his Foundation are doing for lions and hyenas. The movie, Lion King wasn't fair to hyenas, they hunt and keep 70% of their kills, they are amazing parents and have personalities like any other animal or person. I'm proud to be a member of his channel, helping his mission. 🥰🐾

The lion King made people hate them but not that bad tho they have to eat to live

Seriously people? She's not an idiot. We are talking about a man who get accepted by a pack of wild animals with enough force to crush bones with a bite. Also don't diminish the work of Richardson. He is a zoologist, he specializes in animal behaviour. And he does what he does not to play with the animals but to study how they act, to better understand the ethology of big feral felines and of big feral canidae. And she makes the question whoever isn't a zoologist asks to them: what do they gain from studying animals (truth be told is a question made to any scientist that does research in what doesn't seem to have a practical use, as is confirmed by all the critics and questions about big science programs and projects like Rosetta, Juno, the gravitational waves hunt etc etc.. ..), she shows the misconceptions of non scientists. A good example is the reversal of history: she says that hyenas act like domesticated dogs, while truth is that dogs are domesticated from wild animals, and so it's them that have conserved the behaviour of their ancestors. Well, of the puppies of their feral ancestors.

This is honestly so adorable

I want to hug one!

3:46 "What ya looking at, huh? I'm watching you"

It's amazing how hyenas are closer to the cat family than the dog family.

Mufasa and Simba's primary antagonist. Yet, hyenas are still cute yet dangerous in real life.

the scale and the size ratio of those animals next to kevin, i had no idea they were so large, you can see why dog is mans best friend, 10,000 years later

Kevin's just amazing me again. He puts in 14 years of effort and people think he's nuts when playing with them like that. I admire his passion and even share it to a smaller extent

Mufassssa! ooooh! Mufassssa! Mufasssa! Mufassssa!

“I’m asserting my dominance over him” This dude carries his balls around in a wheel barrel.

The amazing thing about Kevin is that he acknowledges that he thinks he gets more out of the relationship/interaction than the animals do. From the animals' perspective, I absolutely don't believe that's true, but just the fact that he would think/say that really defines/describes his heart.

look at the size of the head on those hyenas. jaw pressure is probably insane.

Never really seen a person that close to a hyena before. I didn't realize they were THAT BIG.

I don’t blame Kevin, Hyenas would steal my heart too, LITERALLY!!!!!

3:46 Shows people a different side of them Hyena: Oh ya It's me Hi there

uncharted among thieves 5 : animal planet

Well thanks for nothing Disney.

Wow, you can’t tell how big hyenas actually are until you see them next to a man 😳

*Are they like a mix between a cat & dog?? Seems like it to me. They have characteristics of BOTH!*

I do like the using play as a time to assert dominance. it's a really nonviolent way to do that. It works with dogs too.

If it were possible I would have one as a pet. Their pretty cute but I be so scared of a bite. Even if it were during play time

Kevin is a fantastic man. We need so, so many more of his kind!

3:47 when a hyena looks right at the camera Actually it trying to say this guy is lying all🤣🤣

i imagine he takes a good long shower before going back to the lions

Meanwhile Timon and Pumba are cautiously watching from behind a tree

The way he described taming them with dominance yet lovingly and playfully, that all totally describes how we casually interact with dogs

They could crunch through his forearm bone like a wafer stick. This man is crazy. Lol

...i wanna pet them...they could kill me in seconds...but damnet I wanna pet them

Most ppl based their "knowledge" of hyenas based on the lion king.

Kevin is a legend. His relationship with the lions, hyenas and leopards shows his imense commitment and dedication of a lifetime to these animals.

The Hyenas are low key trying to get at him with every encounter.

I LOVe Kevin Richardson! I'm always fascinated by how well he bonds with these big cats!!

Bloody incredible. What a remarkable human.

He's an expert and has it nailed down-- familiarity and kindness builds trust; there's pecking order and respecting that; affection is key to gain more acceptance: and of course giving them no reason to perceive you as a threat but rather a friend.

I'm still intimidated. Then again, I don't have the patience to learn about them for 14 years. I admire him.

That lady is acting like he's an idiot. I want to see you try to pet a dog.

Hyenas can range from playfully aggressive to straight up abusive when it comes to family

He's the person that wants to pet everything dangerous without dying and he's actually good at it

Ooooh!!! How amazing, sweet and beautiful love between Kevin Richardson and hyenas!!

I wonder how many people will watch videos like this and then get killed in a hyena attack trying to play with them

This guy is the craziest person on entire planet.

some people think domestic dog can fight this🤣🤣😄

They're truly lovely animals. It just takes their trust to build a relationship with them

this guy must have loved the lion king movie 😉 great job

3:46 " oh shit , is that a camera ? , IMMA BE ON FUCKING TV ?? 😱"

Hyenas be like: Don't attack him, he's our landlord

“It’s not funny, Ed!”

Interviewer: So, why on Earth would you want to do this when you are aware that it can be dangerous? Kevin: You must have missed the part where I am PLAYING WITH HYENAS.

No need to tickle an animal that laughs on its own

Owen Grady (Chris Pratts character from Jurassic World): "I can train dangerous animals and get them to trust me!" Kevin Richardson: "Hold my beer!"

This man would be awsome in a dystopian post-apocalyptic world

That reporter is pissing me off. She always acts as if these people are stupid! They know what they're doing, Jesus.

Hyenas get such bad press. They must be one of the most hated animals.

Your one of a kind! Great video. U gives us something we would otherwise never see. Thx again

Do you ever burst into tears because an animal is just... so cute. Because that's me every time I see a hyena, I just start sobbing