Ahead of the premiere of his new show Lions of Sabi Sand: Brothers in Blood, Dave Salmoni has shared five of his most exciting moments with Female First readers.
Dave Salmoni / Credit: Discovery Channel
For a zoologist behaviour expert he's had some pretty wild experiences in his time, and that looks to continue in the new series on Discovery Channel.
Find out a little more about Dave and what he does with his top five below, and remember to catch the show Friday at 9pm.
First Lion encounter:
The first time I came into contact with a lion was while I was working at the Bowmanville zoo. I had finished my zoology degree and went to the zoo to do research. Instead of research I was cleaning, feeding and taking care of animals. I remember taking a wheel barrow of poop out of the barn when a full grown male lion came around the corner. At the time he looked pretty calm and was walking up to see me. It was probably one of the dumbest reactions, but I felt like he was fine with me. I had always wondered what a lion felt like. So I took the opportunity to reach out and give him a pat on the head. Fast forward, he was the first lion I ever trained.
First time my baby tiger killed something:
I was involved in a tiger conservation project where I was trying to be there first person to train a captive tiger to hunt and fend for itself in the wild. I spent almost a year taking the tigers hunting twice a day. I was living in a tent on a mountain in South Africa. After a year of my life, the tigers just were not getting it. Until one day, we were out for our morning hunt. I heard a big commotion with the tigers and saw them get after something. As I got over a rise to see them, I saw my female with the proudest look on her face. She had caught and killed a Rock Hyrax. It was the beginning of them becoming amazing predators.
First time I swam with Great White Sharks:
I was signed up by a friend to do a show for Shark week where we wanted to see if sharks are hunting humans. The end of the show was to have me see if I could swim without a cage, with a GWS. It was at a time that there were only 2 people doing it and there was little known about its safety. I can remember that it was the first animal encounter where I didn't trust the animal. It was the only animal that my nerve believed the bad press. I thought, like most, that the shark would just see me and try to eat me. The moment where I realized they were a very calm sweet fun animal was VERY exciting. Both from an animal lover point of view and from a not being eaten point of view.
My first walk with a wild lion:
For a long time I was a scientist and a big cat trainer. Most people who knew wild lions suggested that my knowledge wouldn't translate and that I didn't know wild cats. I was working with a friend who owned one of the best Safari lodges in the world. I mentioned to him that I had a theory of how I might gain a wild lions trust. He was a free thinker and just told me to be careful and not let the people at the lodge see me. I was in a large open grass land, the lions could see me from a long way off. It was perfect for my theoretic technique. I can remember locking eyes with the dominant female who was protecting her cubs. I was completely exposed with only a stick to protect me. I started trying to communicate with my body language as I would a captive lion. The moment where I built her trust enough for her to lay down and go to sleep was SUPER exciting.
My first walk with a wild African Elephant herd:
There is no real dramatic story behind it. I just really love elephants. I felt I could build their trust enough that they would ignore me. I remember one day having a full day's worth of food in my pack and seeing a herd moving past where I was. I decided to hang around in their periphery for as long as they would let me. I got through all of my food and almost all of the light before I had to head home. It was pretty magical.
Lions of Sabi Sand: Brothers in Blood premieres Friday 5th June, 9pm on Discovery Channel.