Ever wondered how it feels to play with wild animals as big as the lion?
Even for an animal tamer, the idea of becoming too familiar with such wild animals evokes a feeling of foreboding and a nudging awareness of the dangers of such exploits.
But the images, shot by photographer Adrian Steirn have a serious undertone - the animals live with world-renowned 'Lion Whisperer' Kevin Richardson at his wildlife sanctuary in Pretoria and they are being used to raise awareness about the plight of the animals in Africa.
Photographer Steirn, 36, said: 'Hearing a two-tonne vehicle creak and move and seeing the dents in the car that the lion left behind was a fascinating experience.
'It was unbelievable to see the size of their paws and how easy it was for them to jump onto the vehicle, just how athletic they are.'
Richardson is a conservationist whose work has brought millions of people around the world into the discussion about lion conservation.
A lion is pictured lounging on top of a Mercedes during the photo shoot with wildlife photographer Adrian Steirn
The founder of a wildlife sanctuary that is now home to over 30 lions, Richardson has developed an intimate bond with his cats and he famously walks freely with the animals.
Flouting common misconceptions that breaking an animal’s spirit with sticks and chains is the best way to subdue them, he uses love, understanding and trust to develop personal bonds with the lions.
He has presented and produced several documentaries that detail his relationships with the animals and highlight the plight of lions both in captivity and in the wild.
Steirn added: 'To be able to really understand Kevin's background and relationship with these big cats was incredible.
'He puts his heart and soul into lion conservation, so to be able to showcase the cats and their massive value to our world in this way was a great opportunity.
'The lions weren't wild but habituated lions. Kevin was at home in his wildlife sanctuary with these huge carnivores.'
The pair were given 48 hours to work with some of the most impressive predators in Pretoria's Welgedacht Private Game Reserve.
But getting the final winning shot proved to be less than easy because the lions had to first become accustomed to Steirn.
The challenge for the duo lay in framing the male lion to the right of a caged female behind bars in one of Richardson's cars, which was used as a makeshift prop to represent captivity.
During the project the pair also ran into difficulty with bad weather conditions - facing a heavy storm in the first 24 hours of the shoot. 'That put a lot of pressure on time,' said Steirn.
The number of lions in the wild are decreasing rapidly, with the current estimated population down to 20,000 - a major decrease on the estimated 100,000 in the early 1990s.
'They are such big animals so I was very well aware of them because things can go wrong very quickly with the lions,' said Steirn.
'I have been shooting wild lions for almost 20 years now and to shoot these lions in this capacity and to get this close was really extraordinary.'
A lion perches on top of the Mercedes SUV as photographer Adrian Steirn takes its photo from inside the vehicle
CREDIT: BARCROFT MEDIA
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