What is happiness?

The real Lion King: Why I quit the rat race to live in the African bush | Mail Online

David had discovered his unique gift of communicating with lions. 'When I was offered a full-time job at the park,' says David, 'I couldn't turn it down. I went from earning £50,000 a year back home to surviving on just £10 a month in the African bush. But with the lions walking beside me, I was happier than I had ever been in my whole life.'

Slowly, over the coming months and years, the scores of lion cubs who have bonded with David and joined him on his walks have become like children to him.

He has hundreds of photographs of them - and refers to each one with the fondness of a father.

'It was so hard saying goodbye to Mustafa and Mel when they were released into the wild two and a half years later,' says David, 'but I knew I had to step out of their lives so that they could live like lions, within a pride. I was given three young cubs to raise next - a male called Praise, and two females, Paka and Phyre.