The lioness Lisa finds shade under Chen's off-road vehicle. Photos provided by Chen Jianxing

"I felt horrible the first time. But later I quickly got used to it. I believe they will not hurt me. And it's true," Chen says.

Chen watched Lisa defeat invaders who wanted to eat her babies. There are also stray lions that never abandon each other when facing a threat to their lives.

"Like men, lions are animals of rich feelings and high sociality. They are not as vicious as people imagine," Chen says.

However, it's undeniable there are a few human-eating lions. These are mostly lions that fail to catch wildlife and happen to confront humans, says Chen.

Because he regularly visits Lake Manze, he is often required to help other organizations, to provide photos for them and create profiles for each lion, just like humans' IDs.

Chen met ecologist Craig Packer this way. Packer spent 40 years studying lions in Africa.

"I want to do my doctorate with Craig Packer in the future, to deepen my study on lions," says Chen.

Although his interest is lions, as an employee of Tanzania National Parks, Chen also devotes himself to animal conservation, especially combating wildlife poaching.

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Photos: Living among lions(2)

Photos: Living among lions(1)