Born in Switzerland · Nationality Swiss — Wildlife sanctuary / social media

Dean Schneider

Celebrities, influencers and social media Media and journalism

Swiss creator born in 1992 and founder of the Hakuna Mipaka wildlife sanctuary in South Africa.

Dean Schneider is a Swiss entrepreneur who founded South Africa’s Hakuna Mipaka wildlife sanctuary. In 2020, a video of an interaction with a lion cub prompted criticism from South Africa’s NSPCA, which said it would investigate; no final judicial outcome was found. His close interaction with captive predators has also attracted criticism over anthropomorphism and wildlife practices, which he disputes.

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Profile No. 5872 · Updated on 6 November 2026

1Documented controversy

2Sources

0Formal charge · all time

0Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

2019–May 2020

2020: video alleging a violent action towards a lion cub

Investigation

Footage reportedly recorded in 2019 and circulated in 2020 appears to show Schneider striking a lion cub after it extended a paw towards him. South Africa’s National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) called the reaction excessive and said it would investigate, including permit issues. The reviewed sources establish neither a criminal conviction nor the final outcome of that review.

State of the evidence: Footage reported by the press, a statement from an NSPCA official and a spokesperson’s denial; no subsequent outcome found.
Legal status — source text: NSPCA investigation announced in May 2020; later outcome or charges could not be verified by 6 November 2026.
Attribution: Interaction described by an animal-welfare organisation as excessive force against a lion cub.

Sources · 2

[1]
Daily Dispatch / TimesLIVEWildlife sanctuary owner under scrutiny for ‘punching’ lion cub4 May 2020MediaHigh reliability
[2]
The Herald / TimesLIVEWildlife sanctuary owner under scrutiny for ‘punching’ lion cub1 May 2020MediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 6 November 2026

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II. Constellation of documented links

No documented link with another published profile for now.

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

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Controversia profile, updated 6 November 2026. Latest version: https://controversia.info/en/fiche/dean-schneider