Lion reserve opens inverse zoo in South Africa with caged visitors

Welcome to the 'human zoo': Once a day, Glen Garriff lion sanctuary cages visitors. Photo / Supplied, GG

Keeping lions behind bars has long been considered barbaric.

But when the cage is around the visitors, that's the kind of zoo we can get behind.

A lion sanctuary in Harrismith, South Africa has begun inviting visitors to see the big cats up close in a more humane way.

Far from captivity, the Glen Garriff sanctuary is a 1000-hectare reserve in Eastern Free State South Africa.

Inspired by cage-diving with great whites, the cage was designed by German photographer Lars Beusker.

Using the cage to get portraits of the lions, without getting 'too close' for comfort, the reinforced cage and plexiglass panels allow you to get a clean view of the savanna cats.

Are you sure what side of the bars you're on?

Posted by GG Conservation Glen Garriff on Friday, September 4, 2020

As a sanctuary with on-site accommodation the 'professional photography cage' is a unique draw for filmmakers and wildlife-lovers.

Director of GG Sanctuary, photographer Suzanne Scott opened the cage up to visitors last year.

"We have been offering this experience for almost two years now and the safety of both our guests and big cats is the top priority," Scott told the Daily Mail.

The sanctuary is careful not to expose the animals too much to human interaction.

"Priority is given to overnight guests as we can only use the cage once a day," she says.

Posted by GG Conservation Glen Garriff on Friday, July 3, 2020

With lens holes through the sheets of perspex, the cage can seem a little exposed, but the sanctuary says there is nothing to worry about.

"These holes are totally safe and too small for a lion paw to get through."

Beusker, who designed the cage at the sanctuary, said that Suzanne and owner Patrick Shannon helped him come up with the experience.

"Any idea I had for getting closer to the lions they realized for me," he said.

He says the cage helped him take his "all times best lion portrait", a photo of an old male named Smokey. "The real lion king!"

KING SMOKEY - ein unglaublich majestätischer Löwe, den Lars Beusker 2019 in Südafrika fotografiert hat. Er sieht uns wissend an und die Narben auf seiner Nase zeugen von Kämpfen, die er gewonnen hat.

Posted by 159.gallery bei Bild + Rahmen Werkladen Köln on Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Getting close enough to "actually smell them", being "Locked up" in the cage gives a perspective of the lions unlike any other, said another visiting filmmaker.

With 77 rescue lions on site, many have been bought from zoos and circuses and cannot be freed into the wild.

"We are expecting another 17 to arrive later this year, which we are currently in the process of rescuing from a closed-down zoo in the Middle East," manager Scott told the Mail Online.

The cage has helped provide an income for the non-profit, which otherwise relies on donations to feed and care for the lions.

The experience is charged at SAR3000, about $290. For more information visit, ggconservation.org