Just a friendly lion saying hello to some tourists!
South Africa's Kruger National Park is a famous tourist destination because it's a place where one can get up close and personal with wildlife that one might normally see only in a nature documentary. Most tourists who visit the park are hoping to see one of Africa's most famous predators, the lion.
Many get the chance to see them as the prides are often active on roadways. Many have no qualms about attacking their prey on or next to the roads that many tourist cars and buses travel past.
The people in this video got closer than most people ever will. They came across a small pride of lions and one young male decides this vehicle looks interesting. As cameras roll, he comes over to say hello and it makes for an incredibly memorable video.
If you already could not tell from the scruffy-looking mane, this lion is a young male who likely does not know a whole lot about humans yet. He certainly got a good look in this incident! Did you see those big paws and claws? The sound of the claws scratching on the glass was something else. This would be a good time to lock the door to the vehicle!
The video's description says the footage was shot by Hannetjie van der Westhuizen, who says they have been visiting the park for years. However, this was the closest encounter they've ever had with "the king of the jungle." He noted that they were a bit scared until they realized the lion wasn't attacking, he was simply curious about the vehicle.
"He was seriously chewing on the tyres, and I thought those sharp teeth may damage them, so we decided to move on," Hannetjie said in the video's description.
Still, what an awesome encounter! That's something they will never forget experiencing!
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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