The Lionman - Libran Wildlife Reserve

The Lionman - Libran Wildlife Reserve This is the only official page of The Lionman, Craig Busch, operated from Libran Wildlife Reserve, North West Province, South Africa & United Kingdom.

02/09/2026

Zenda’s got an itchy ear this morning… she must know we’re talking about her! 🦒😂

Because there are only TWO DAYS TO GO until her new friends arrive! ❤️

Thanks to your incredible generosity, the biggest part of Operation Tower is already covered. We’re just a little short on the final transport and veterinary costs needed to get Zenda’s new companions safely home.

If you’d like to be part of Zenda’s story and help her finally build her very own tower, you can still donate through the link. Every little bit genuinely helps.

https://gofund.me/e7f8955ce

And as a special thank you, anyone donating over £25 will receive a keepsake picture from Zenda, signed by Craig. 🦒❤️

Two more sleeps, Zenda… your tower is almost here.

Was Zenda a ballerina in a past life? 🦒🩰Just look at that back leg. Even when she’s casually having a snack from the tre...
01/09/2026

Was Zenda a ballerina in a past life? 🦒🩰

Just look at that back leg. Even when she’s casually having a snack from the trees, she somehow manages to strike a pose.

Elegant, graceful and ever the lady. That’s our Zenda. 🤍

01/09/2026

A special moment with Craig and former Animal Planet presenter Mark Tennant, spending time with these incredible wild rhinos. 🦏

You’ll notice their horns have been removed. Sadly, dehorning is one of the measures used in parts of Africa to reduce the incentive for poachers to kill rhinos for their horns.

It’s not how we’d wish to see them, but protecting the animal has to come first. Whatever it takes to give these magnificent animals a safer future. 🤍

29/08/2026

What would you name him? 🪶👇

When Craig first moved to Libran, there were four ostriches living here. Unfortunately, our lone resident ostrich had other ideas about sharing his territory. He eventually saw the others off and, sadly, killed them.

That was some years ago now, and we can’t help wondering whether age might finally be making him a little softer.

We say might… 😂

He still struts around Libran as though he owns the place, and has been known to strike a little fear into anyone who needs to get past him, particularly after dark!

In this video, he’s decided that the peacocks’ food looks rather appealing. Craig is trying to convince him otherwise, which apparently requires Craig to become an ostrich himself and flap his own “wings” in defence. 😂

But we never give up on an animal.

Ultimately, we want all of the animals here to be able to live as peacefully and harmoniously alongside one another as possible. So perhaps we start small.

We think it’s time this boy finally had a name.

If we use it often enough, maybe one day he’ll even turn his head when we call him.

Although, to be completely honest, we’d settle for him simply not trying to attack us. 😂

So, what would YOU call him?

Leave your suggestion below. Once this reel has had a chance to run, we’ll go through your ideas and let you know which name we’ve chosen. ❤️

https://gofund.me/779b17470We’re so close to our goal! 🦒❤️Thanks to your incredible support, Zenda’s new companions will...
26/08/2026

https://gofund.me/779b17470

We’re so close to our goal! 🦒❤️

Thanks to your incredible support, Zenda’s new companions will soon be making their way to Libran, and we honestly can’t thank everyone who has helped make this possible enough.

As a little keepsake from us, anyone who donates £20 or more will receive one of these special Zenda postcards, personally signed by Craig.

And don’t worry if you’ve already donated £20 or more. We haven’t forgotten you! You’ll be included too. ❤️

We’re sorry that we can’t offer the postcards for donations below £20. Once printing and postage are taken into account, it would begin to cost the fundraiser money, which would counteract the whole reason we’re raising these funds in the first place. We hope you understand.

The postcards are on their way from the printers right now. As most of our admin is done here in the UK, they then need to make their own journey all the way to South Africa for Craig to personally sign them before coming back to the UK to be posted out to you. So please bear with us if yours takes a couple of weeks to arrive. It’s quite a journey for a little postcard! 🦒💌

Every donation, whatever the amount, has helped us get Zenda to this point, and we are enormously grateful.

We’re nearly there. Thank you for being part of Zenda’s story. ❤️

25/08/2026

Dinner time for the girls 🦁❤️

Shia, our white lioness, and Thembi, our Barbary lioness, are normally very happy together, but when food is involved, they have very different ideas about how dinner should be enjoyed!

Thembi likes to take her time and savour every bite. Shia, on the other hand, finishes hers rather more quickly and then decides Thembi’s dinner looks pretty tempting too. 😅

So these days, Craig separates the girls at feeding time. It means they can both relax, eat at their own pace and enjoy their dinner in peace, with no squabbles over who gets the last bite.

Once dinner is over, the girls can be reunited again. ❤️🦁

Protecting Tigers 🐅Tigers are among the most iconic and magnificent animals on our planet, yet their future remains unde...
24/08/2026

Protecting Tigers 🐅

Tigers are among the most iconic and magnificent animals on our planet, yet their future remains under serious threat.

Across the world, wild tigers face numerous dangers, including habitat loss, poaching, illegal wildlife trade, human-wildlife conflict and the decline of natural prey. As forests and grasslands disappear, tiger populations become increasingly isolated, making it harder for them to find food, establish territories and reproduce.

The illegal trade in tiger parts continues to drive poaching, while the demand for wildlife products puts additional pressure on already vulnerable populations. Human expansion can also bring tigers into conflict with local communities, sometimes with devastating consequences for both people and wildlife.

Protecting tigers means protecting much more than one species. By conserving the forests and ecosystems they depend on, we also protect countless other animals and the communities that rely on these natural environments.

Tigers belong in the wild — not in the illegal wildlife trade.

Their survival depends on strong conservation, responsible management, protected habitats and, most importantly, people caring enough to stand up for them.

🐅 Protect their habitat.
Protect their future.
Protect the tiger.

The Growing Threats Facing Lions in Africa 🦁🌍Africa’s lions are an iconic symbol of the wild, but their future is under ...
23/08/2026

The Growing Threats Facing Lions in Africa 🦁🌍

Africa’s lions are an iconic symbol of the wild, but their future is under increasing pressure.

Across the continent, lions face a number of serious threats, including habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, illegal wildlife trade, poaching, retaliatory killings and the decline of natural prey. As human populations expand and wild habitats become increasingly fragmented, lions are coming into closer contact with people and livestock, often with devastating consequences for both communities and wildlife.

The loss of prey species can also force lions to travel further in search of food, increasing the likelihood of conflict. At the same time, illegal hunting and the destruction of habitat continue to place additional pressure on already vulnerable populations.

Protecting Africa’s lions requires more than simply protecting the animals themselves. It means protecting their habitat, prey, ecosystems and the communities that live alongside them. Conservation programmes, responsible wildlife management, education and community involvement all have an important role to play.

Lions have roamed Africa for thousands of years. Their survival should not depend on how much space humans are willing to leave behind.

If we want future generations to hear the roar of the African lion, we must act today.

🦁 Protect their habitat. Protect their prey. Protect their future.

23/08/2026

“I swear cheetahs are trying to domesticate themselves…” 😂🐆

We get this comment a lot on our socials, and it’s funny you should say that, because humans have been taming cheetahs for thousands of years.

Ancient Egyptians kept tame cheetahs, and centuries later they became prized companions of royalty across Asia. Mughal Emperor Akbar famously kept and trained huge numbers of cheetahs for hunting. And as recently as 1932, photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt captured the extraordinary sight of a woman sitting at a Paris café having tea with a tame cheetah beside her.

So why didn’t they become giant house cats?

Because tamed and domesticated are two very different things.

Cheetahs are still wild animals. They need specialist diets and veterinary care, huge amounts of appropriate space and the freedom to behave like cheetahs. They’re also notoriously difficult to breed successfully in human care.

So when people tell us they want a Zeus on their sofa, do we understand?

Absolutely. 😂❤️

But Zeus can choose the sofa because he has a sanctuary outside it.

The sofa is his choice. The sanctuary is his home.

Disclaimer: Libran Wildlife Reserve is a licensed wildlife rehabilitation sanctuary. Zeus is an elderly cheetah in lifelong human care and has access to appropriate outdoor habitat and specialist care.

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