This selfie is hands down one of the cutest yet most dangerous selfies of the animal kingdom. This picture, captured by Kevin Richardson, most famously known as “The Lion Whisperer”, while overwhelmingly adorable, is also met with much scrutiny and is considered highly irresponsible by many of those within the animal expert community. Richardson is also widely known for his wildlife conservation efforts, in particular, for the Kevin Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary. Its mission is to provide a self-sustaining African carnivore sanctuary for the purposes of wild species preservation.
Here, Richardson is known for his unorthodox, friendly relationship with the African lion, a close bond illustrated through a myriad of widely viewed, captivating YouTube videos featuring Richardson and his lions. Despite Richardson’s unusual relationship, it is important to remember that these big cats, while pictured as deceivingly warm and cuddly in Richardson’s numerous selfies, are still wild, dangerous animals.
Chimpanzee Feeds a Leopard cub - Southam Park Zoo (The United Kingdom, 1971)
A Chimpanzee is feeding a leopard cub. It's a seemingly odd, contradicting, yet adorable scene. No, this photo wasn’t taken from the film Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971). It was a moment that was captured in 1971 at Southam Park Zoo in the UK. This nurturing adult chimpanzee is pictured feeding a newborn leopard cub with a baby bottle. And what makes the picture even more unusual is that the primate is sitting on a human chair!
While typically, leopard cubs are fed by their mothers, whom they stay with for approximately two years—during which time they learn to hunt—this chimp proves that no matter what the species, all creatures have the maternal instinct to tend to a young in need.
The Great Ardennes Draft Horse Trots Along a Field
Widely known as one of the oldest breeds of draft horses, the photo below displays the majestic Ardennes draft horse as it trots along a green field. This horse's pedigree dates all the way back to the pre-historic horses of Solutré— a Paleolithic site just outside the city of Maçon, near the southern area of Burgundy, France. This draft breed is truly a beast from another era.
Believe it or not, these exuberant animals have been present throughout much of human history, pulling heavy loads all the way back since the times of Julius Caesar, as seen in his descriptions of this grandiose horse in this great Roman Leader’s Commentarii de Bello Gallico (Commentaries on the Gallic War), published around 50 BC. Named after the Ardennes regions of France, Belgium and Luxembourg—the region this horse was first bred in—the Ardennes draft horse is known for its participation in some of mankind’s biggest recorded struggles.
Ptthh! A Baby Hippo Sticks its Tongue Out and Blows Raspberry to Onlookers
Up next in the list of the cutest and most adorable creatures of the animal world is the below cheeky baby hippopotamus. One of the top attractions at the Higashiyama Zoo in Japan, while Hippopotami are not usually among those animals considered cute and cuddly, since adult hippos are widely known to be one of the most aggressive and dangerous animals on of the African Sahara, the below photo proves these animals can be just as cute as any other creature in the wild.
But this cute baby Hippo’s small size won’t last long. In time, this small hippo calf will eventually grow to weight as much as two tons (if a male), or a ton and a half (if a female). Contrary to the cute demeanor of baby hippos, adult hippos are actually extremely aggressive, known as one of the more dangerous of animals on the African savannah. Additionally, these animals are also known to be highly territorial and are even known to fling their feces, in order to mark their rightful territory.
Woman Sits With Pet Cheetah by Her Side While Having Tea at a Café in Paris, 1932
Photographed by famed German-born American photographer and photojournalist, Alfred Eisenstadt, back in 1932, this unusual image was taken at a cafe in Bois de Boulogne, a large public park in Paris. We see an unidentified woman sitting alongside her pet cheetah, who she keeps close to her on a leash. Unusual as it may be, there is actually a longstanding history of Parisians owning exotic animals as pets.
Notable American-born dancer, Josephine Baker, who lived much of her life in Paris, was also known to follow this unusual trend, keeping a cheetah by the name of Chiquita as her pet. Among other Parisians owning exotic animals as pets include actress and journalist Marguerite Durand, who owned a Lion, whom she comically named, “Tiger.” But of all the exotic pets housed by Parisians throughout the city’s history, perhaps the oddest pet of them all was lobster companion Thibault, owned by poet Gerard de Nerval, who was often seen walking his fellow animal friend around the streets of Paris.