Photo: YouTube
Being in a car on a safari can offer a false sense of security, even in the presence of some of the most dangerous animals in the world. That’s a probable explanation for the stupid gesture in the video below.
A video was posted to social media at the weekend, and it’s gone viral ever since. It was supposedly shot at the Serengeti Safari Park in Tanzania and it shows tourists in a car admiring a bunch of lions and lionesses.
At one point, one male tourist sticks his hand out the window and lightly pats the lion on the back. You can imagine the animal’s reaction wasn’t that of a domestic cat: the lion turns to face the open window, lets out a roar and seems ready to attack. The tourists inside jump back from the window and rush to close it, just now aware of how stupid their gesture was.
And it was just that, South African safari ranger Naas Smit tells The Sun. It might seem like a fun thing to do, but reaching out of the vehicle to pat wild animals can probably cost you your life – and of everyone else in the car. This is particularly true of lions, whose strength and speed are legendary.
“Only those who work in the wild know the speed of a lion and it could have torn the arm off the person touching it,” Smit explains. “It would have the power to pull that tourist straight out of that window and kill them instantly in front of their friends. It was an incredibly stupid thing to do.”
“It could also just have easily crashed its way through the open window and torn into those inside. They were lucky to get away with it. They are wild animals,” Smit continues. “I just have to shake my head when I see people behaving like this and they deserve all they get.”
Next time you’re on a safari, remember this, if you feel like you can’t help but touch the animals outside.
At one point, one male tourist sticks his hand out the window and lightly pats the lion on the back. You can imagine the animal’s reaction wasn’t that of a domestic cat: the lion turns to face the open window, lets out a roar and seems ready to attack. The tourists inside jump back from the window and rush to close it, just now aware of how stupid their gesture was.
And it was just that, South African safari ranger Naas Smit tells The Sun. It might seem like a fun thing to do, but reaching out of the vehicle to pat wild animals can probably cost you your life – and of everyone else in the car. This is particularly true of lions, whose strength and speed are legendary.
“Only those who work in the wild know the speed of a lion and it could have torn the arm off the person touching it,” Smit explains. “It would have the power to pull that tourist straight out of that window and kill them instantly in front of their friends. It was an incredibly stupid thing to do.”
“It could also just have easily crashed its way through the open window and torn into those inside. They were lucky to get away with it. They are wild animals,” Smit continues. “I just have to shake my head when I see people behaving like this and they deserve all they get.”
Next time you’re on a safari, remember this, if you feel like you can’t help but touch the animals outside.
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