South Africa wildlife breeders rattled by new animal cruelty guidelines

Wildlife trainer Shandor Larenty feeds and pets a pride of lions at the Lion and Safari Park near Johannesburg, South Africa, February 7, 2020. Reuters/Tim Cocks

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A cheetah strides up to third generation animal trainer Shandor Larenty and lets him stroke its fur while he throws chunks of meat to the rest of the coalition at the Johannesburg Lion & Safari park.

At 25 years old, Larenty has been training wild animals to be docile around tourists for the past 13 years and said he would be devastated if he had to stop because of growing ethical concerns over tourist animal interactions.