Julie Thompson
Dr. Rae Lynn Schwartz-DuPre
Visual Rhetoric- Comm 430
March 11, 2015
Lion Embrace: A Critique of Anthropomorphic Animals

“We humans seem to have admired Lions, and feared them and worshipped their nobility and strength for thousands of years” (Joubert, 2012, pg. 1). Nearly every human being has some sort of attraction to animals; whether it is their pet, a stuffed animal, or a fictional character. This human attraction to animals is common and natural, because it gives humans the satisfaction of interacting with another species in a playful manner. Kevin Richardson, otherwise known as “The Lion Whisperer” takes this human attraction to an entirely new level. Richardson is famous for rescuing and raising twenty-seven adopted lions from a game reserve in Johannesburg, South Africa. These lions were soon to be killed by hunters before Kevin Richardson stepped in and relocated these lions to his own land. He treats his felines as if they were equals, often wrestling, playing, and embracing them as if they were humans or as if he was a lion. For viewers these actions might be initially seen as incredible, witnessing a human interact so passionately with the King of the Jungle. Richardson states he is able to do this because he treats each individual lion differently, speaking to them, caressing them and, above all, treating them with respect (Roberts, 2007, p. 1).
This relationship is a form of anthropomorphism, or giving animals human characteristics. The story of Kevin Richardson relates to many other cat human relationships that have been circulated throughout history, such as the commonly known fictional relationship of Calvin and Hobbes.
To illustrate this complex man cat relationship I will analyze the image on the left, found on stripeshiphop.com, originally found off of lionwhisperer.co.za, of Kevin Richardson embracing one of his lions, hereafter referred to as Lion Embrace. I argue that the image of Lion Embrace creates an unnatural response from audiences because viewers are not accustomed to seeing lions intimately interacting with humans. I begin by reviewing theories of anthropomorphism to demonstrate the idea that humans give human traits to animals. Next, I articulate how the famous relationship of Calvin and Hobbes acts as a fictional comparison to Lion Embrace. Then, by examining the provocative aspects of Lion Embrace, I consider how audiences are fascinated by Lion Embrace because it is presumed to be real, and displays anthropomorphic tendencies. Lion Embrace depicts Kevin nestled into the arms of a lion standing on its hind legs in a grassy field. The lion’s right arm is placed gently around Kevin’s left shoulder, as Kevin’s right arm embraces the Lion’s backside to form this intimate hug. The most striking point, or area of focus, is the lions paws wrapped gently around Richardson’s shoulder and back. If the lion’s paws weren’t places so gently, the image would lose its passionate force. The viewer is also drawn to Richardson’s closed mouth smile and profound dimples, giving the impression that this is a delicate and gentle moment of peace. In the background one can see poles and fencing in the distance, showing that this field is a secure and private bit of land. Over time, Lion Embrace has grown in popularity and has been featured on local and international News Networks including Sky News, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Carte Blanche and Top Billing. (Richardson, 2015, lionwhisperer.co.za).
Previous literature relating to a man-cat relationship is limited; however the emergent themes of anthropomorphism, human-animal relations, and animal imagery (symbolizing an animal as a human) provide a quality basis for analyzing Lion Embrace. Elizabeth Hirschman (1994) and David Pierson (2005) suggest that there is an immense desire for humans to transform and encourage animals to take on human characteristics strictly for their own benefit. This natural human tendency is a result of how we view animals through animal imagery, how we treat our own animal companions, and what we have seen through media portrayals of animals.
Humans work to make animals more relatable on a natural level. “The keeping of animals appears to have resulted from a human desire for companionship with other species” (Hirschman, 1994, pg. 616). Alike to this companionship, humans want indescribable bonds with those they are surrounded by; human or nonhuman. “The lives of humans and other animal species are, and have been, closely intertwined in ways that surpass utilitarian necessity and approximate interpersonal bonding” (Hirschman, 1994, p 617). This interpersonal bonding creates an anthropomorphic relationship, removing natural animal traits in hopes of transforming the animal into a more relatable being. Hirschman discusses the term neoteny, which refers to the tendency of an animal species to maintain a juvenile appearance into adulthood, making the animal appear in need of nurture and care from a human. Hirschman goes on to discuss how some animal-human relationships resemble the modern model of marriage:
They may form a strong and enduring bond that extends for the life of the animal, and both may derive emotional benefits from the union. Further, just as in human marriages, some human-animal relationships may end in unhappy dissolution or unequal dominance of one party by the other (Hirschman, 1994 p. 630).
This bond created within the union of human and animal has created a similar relationship to that of human marriage, which often times may end with one partner being dominated by the other. This idea of the modern model of marriage relates to Lion Embrace because viewing such an image like Lion Embrace, it makes it easier for a viewer to place the dominant party as the lion, leaving the human without power or dominance in the marriage. “Anthropomorphic representation dates at least to Paleolithic art of forty thousand years ago, when some drawings of animals included characteristically human features” (Horowitz, 2007, p. 60). This practice of anthropomorphism is currently and has been historically circulated through the media, especially by television networks such as the Discovery Channel and the Disney Channel. David Pierson (2005) discusses anthropomorphism and analyzes the impact of creating animal “stars” because of the tendency for television shows to construct animals into characters with human attributes. He summarizes this human tendency by stating “These animals are effectively transformed into dramatic characters for the viewing audience” (Pierson, 2005, p. 702). Pierson (2005), alike to Hirschman (1994), discusses the desire for humans to see animals in anthropomorphic ways. Throughout shows on the Discovery and Disney Channel, animals are created to attract human viewers, and because of this their animal characteristics are altered. This human attraction to things that share the same evolutionary juvenilization as human infants creates a halt for the natural progression of animals because one would argue that humans are too involved with their own desires.
In addition to the human inclination for anthropomorphic animals, audiences see one of the most famous man cat relationships in the well-known comic strip of Calvin and Hobbes. Similar to creating an animal as a “star” on television, this fictional example creates a relationship admirable by humans. The intertextuality, or referencing of the two texts, between Lion Embrace and Calvin and Hobbes provides relevant information on man cat relationships. Scholars argue that Hobbes is Calvin’s companion which begs the question of morality in our culture, and he is impossible to hate. The relationship between Calvin and Hobbes concludes that animals are humanlike, and this is why we are drawn to see them as friends; instead of simply a boy and his pet. The friendship and companionship of this man-cat relationship has been an instrumental example of anthropomorphism throughout the American public since 1985. Found on pinterest.com is the image to the left of Calvin and Hobbes, with a striking similarity to the image of Lion Embrace. Calvin and Hobbes is a comic strip based around the humorous acts of Calvin, a young boy, and Hobbes, his stuffed tiger. Alike to Lion Embrace, viewers give human characteristics to the tiger Hobbes as they interact with one another because of the intimate hug and smiling face. As shown in the image above, Calvin and Hobbes are embracing each other with a closed mouth smile, shut eyes, and a passionate embrace. To Calvin, Hobbes is a live anthropomorphic tiger, while other characters featured in the comic strip see him as an inanimate stuffed toy. Audiences view Hobbes as Calvin’s friend, yet in the mind of Calvin, Hobbes is his sidekick, and they interact with one another as equals.
Alisa Coleman (2000) conducted a critique of society’s values when analyzing the comic strip of Calvin and Hobbes, because the comic strip is rich in ethical and philosophical discussions of the readers. Created by Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes reflects a typical family culture while critiquing the morality of the culture. “Calvin is often Watterson’s foil, representing an egoistic and teleological ethic that Watterson opposes. Hobbes often speaks for Watterson, pricking holes in Calvin’s ethic” (Coleman, 2000, p. 27). Watterson advocated specifically for the friendship between Calvin and Hobbes, and the notions of reality throughout this friendship. Despite these intended notions of reality created by Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes is fictional, and provides an animated version of Lion Embrace.
The friendship between Calvin and Hobbes can be observed through a similar lens which is used to view Lion Embrace. Kevin Richardson assigns human characteristics to his lion in the image Lion Embrace, and attempts to create an atmosphere of anthropomorphism in a positive manner. However Calvin and Hobbes is completely fictional, and Lion Embrace depicts reality. Lion Embrace is provocative simply because viewers presume it is real, while Calvin and Hobbes is invented for the purpose of an animated comic strip.
Viewers have the opportunity to decipher with their own imagination what they are looking at when they first view Lion Embrace. A viewer would use their imagination to question the context because historically this man lion hug is not possible, so maybe the image has been altered online? Or is the lion actually a person wearing a mascot costume? Regardless, the viewer is drawn to this image because of its unnatural appearance.
Lion Embrace is fascinating to humans because an intimate interaction with the King of the Jungle is previously unheard of. The denotation of lions is danger, and the majority of humans wouldn’t dare to interact so closely with an animal so fierce. The only other interaction many lions have had with humans before has been due to animal colonization, which resulted in a negative outcome for thousands of lions worldwide. The different circumstance portrayed in Lion Embrace has created an interesting relationship to view. It is true that the situation of Kevin Richardson is rare, but Richardson has created an unnatural step in the transgression of this lion, leading audiences to question the context of Lion Embrace. This image is fascinating because it is not animal colonization, but an intimate relationship of two objects embracing each other at the same level with care and compassion. The passionate embrace, with the lions arms gently placed around Richardson’s back puts Richardson and the lion at the same level, acting as equals. This contradicts the notion of previously defined man lion relationships, and creates an unnatural feeling for the viewer.
Man cat relationships have been broadcasted throughout history to promote an image of friendship and companionship. The idea of neotony, that animals appear in need of nurture and care from a human, has created this bond that will forever be circulated throughout history. The anthropomorphic tendencies of Lion Embrace enhance the human need to interact with animals because it shows anthropomorphism in a new context. Lion Embrace is a real life version of Calvin and Hobbes, with much more intriguing responses from audiences.
The human attraction to care for and nurture animals in an anthropomorphic way has become a societal norm when interacting with our pets, or watching celebrity animals on the television and has disrupted the natural progression of traditionally fierce animals. Also, using Hirschman’s (1994) representation of the union of a human and animal as a similar relationship to that of human marriage, Lion Embrace begs the question of dominance displayed. In the case of Lion Embrace, it is true that without Kevin Richardson relocating and nurturing his lions, they would be shot by hunters. Lion Embrace begs an unnatural response to the image, and makes audiences question the context because the image is presumed to be real. Kevin Richardson’s homepage lionwhisperer.co.za states many of his slogans, his most profound being to “change people’s perception of wildlife animals.” After critically analyzing Lion Embrace, audiences will create a new perception for themselves. This perception is initially viewed as unnatural, because humans have never interacted with lions so intimately; but can change the viewer’s perception of wildlife animals indefinitely.

References
Calvin and Hobbes [Online image]. Pinterest.com. Retrieved January 13, 2015 from https://www.pinterest.com/etparis15/calvin-and-hobbes/

Coleman, A. W. (2000). ‘Calvin and Hobbes’: A critique of society’s values. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 15, p. 17-28.

Connell, P. M. (2013). The Role of Baseline Physical Similarity to Humans in Consumer Responses to Anthropomorphic Animal Images. Psychology & Marketing, 30, p. 261-268.

Hirschman, E. C. (1994). Consumers and their animal companions. Journal of Consumer Research, 20.4, p. 616-632.

Horowitz A. (2007). Anthropomorphism. Encyclopedia of Human-Animal Relationships, p 60-66.

Joubert, D. (2012, May 4). Can We Save Lions? Defenders of Wildlife. P. 1-5. Retrieved February 20, 2015.

Richardson, K. (2014). Kevin Richardson- Ultimate badass [Online image]. Retrieved January 13, 2015 from http://www.stripeshiphop.com/blog/2014/5/17/kevin-richardson-ultimate-badass#.VQIsto7F98E
Roberts, G. (2007, June 1). The king of the jungle doesn't frighten the lion whisperer. DailyMail.com. P. 1-3. Retrieved February 20, 2015.

Pierson, David P. (2005). “Hey, they’re just like us!” Representations of the animal world in the Discovery Channel’s Nature Programming. Journal of Popular Culture, 38, p. 698-712.