Lion tamer’s passion ignited at a young age
"It’s a 24-hour job to be an animal trainer as they also need to be fed and taken care of but it doesn't feel like work for me. Travelling is also not a problem for me as I love to travel."
If you love what you do, you will never have to work a day in your life.
This is the case with Quintin Louw, who hails from Boksburg. He is a lion trainer and tamer for McLaren Circus.
“I was in Boksburg when I went to my first circus and I will never forget how amazing it felt to see all the beautiful animals. I grew up in Boksburg before we relocated to Durban, when I was about 14 years old,” said Louw.
He started out as a general maintenance worker at McLaren. About a year ago his passion for animals was recognised and now he is performing with the animals on stage.
“It is amazing to work with these animals. Such a passion ignited at a young age when I taught my pets a few tricks.
“I spent a lot of time with the animals since I started to work at McLaren about three years ago. When they asked me if I wanted to work with the animals, I thought why not as it is my passion.
“My first interaction with wild animals was quite scary. Even though they were still small, they could still hurt me as they are wild. But I quickly got to know the animals and gained their trust.”
Louw said he trains the lions to sit, jump and to lie down.
“I teach the animals to perform to their natural abilities as we can’t force them to do anything that they’re not comfortable with.
“Depending on the individual animal, it can take from a day to six months to train the lions. Each animal has its own personality and some of them learn faster than others.”
He emphasised that the animals are trained by the means of positive reinforcement.
“This means our animals receive a reward and are praised for any positive action displayed. With time, patience and repetition, the animal will understand the command and reward.
Louw said he was trained by owner David McLaren who gave him tips and advice on how to work with the animals. He also learnt a lot through his own experience.
