There is one thing I always find so interesting, if you had a Rottweiler or an Alsatian or one of those massive guard dogs people will not expect of it to jump on their lap when they come to visit, on the contrary they will steer well clear but now when it comes to a hand reared WILD animal they just expect it to come rub against them or to want to be tickled behind the ears on a first encounter. They do not realise that it takes hours every day just to keep the animal habituated and that it is still WILD and that its instincts will always dominate. They do not realise that closeness to the animal is earned and that it takes blood, sweat and tears- literally!

You spend hours and hours exercising them, showing them new things and trying to expose them to as many different things as possible – the running water in a stream, the first impala droppings, a murderous thunderstorm, the excitement of making it all the way to the top of a large tree or catching its first field mouse – and still try to give them the life they deserve and still respect their WILD nature.

You learn to appreciate their moods, their fear, hunger, aggression, instinct and love that they will hand out in abundance.

You learn to respect their power, claws and their intuitive nature and you just watch in awe as nature looks after their own child and he just knows what his “forefathers” knew without being taught or having a “real” mother to guide him.

And I still wonder – how do people just walk in and expect this WILD creature to accept them right away?