Perhaps the biggest innovation has been Craig’s uncanny eye for assimilating animals into cohabiting groups. He’s integrated lions into prides, wolves into packs. The process can take months, but even lone predators like tigers are successfully placed in family groups at the sanctuary. “Solitary animals in the wild are solitary because they compete for food,” he says. “Here they can live freely in big open spaces, be happy, and live together.” It’s an idea that flew in the face of common wisdom. “Circus and Hollywood trainers thought I was nuts,” Craig says. “They told me, ‘You’re going to get yourself killed.’”