lion jumps on safari truck

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Lion climbs into safari vehicle in Crimea, shocking tourists inside

By Danielle Garrand

September 5, 2018 / 11:31 PM EDT / CBS News

People head to safari parks to get up close and personal with animals usually seen only in photos. But, these tourists got a bit too close to a lion when it climbed right into their safari vehicle.

A video released by Taigan Safari Park in Vilnohirsk, Crimea, shows the surprising moment a lion hops into an open-air safari vehicle with tourists.

The footage shows the lion named Filya climbing over people sitting in rows in the car and then licking them, reports APTN. The lion even appeared to attempt to cuddle with the tourists in the vehicle.

Some can be seen taking photos with selfie sticks and laughing, while one woman appeared to be frightened and hops out of the car.

The man in the green shirt driving the vehicle is the park owner, Oleg Zubkov, known as the "lion whisperer," according to the  Daily Mail .

The moment occurred eight weeks after a woman said she was attacked by a different lion named Vitya in the Taigan Safari Park, according to the Daily Mail.  Olga Solomina, said Vitya "bit through my right arm and used it to drag me - it like a puppet."

The park is famous for offering tourists very close interactions with the giant cats.

Danielle Garrand is a social media producer and trending reporter for CBS News.

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Watch: Lioness Jumps Into A Safari Vehicle, Here's What Happens Next

Many internet users were shocked to see the video as they did not anticipate such an end..

A video showing a lioness jumping inside a safari vehicle has amassed 5.6 million views.

A lot of videos of the 'King of the Jungle' are shared on social media. Many of them show risk-takers cuddling the animal and garner a lot of attention. However, the act doesn't always go well for them. But in a recent viral video, a lioness is seen jumping into a tourist vehicle and showing love to the visitors at a safari.

Rather than getting scared, tourists are seen petting the wild cat. The animal tries to reach all the tourists present in the vehicle and is caressed by most. Although lionesses are the primary hunters in a lion pack, the animal did not cause harm to anyone in the vehicle.

It seems that the video was shot by one of the tourists. 

New wildlife experience 😬 pic.twitter.com/1J74oTKgWW — OddIy Terrifying (@OTerrifying) November 8, 2022

The 18-second clip has amassed 5.6 million views and 1.6 lakh likes on the social media platform. It was shared by the user Oddly Terrifying and has been captioned as, "New wildlife experience." The location where the video was shot is unknown. 

Many internet users were shocked to see the video as they did not anticipate such an end. Some even took to the comments section and left their thoughts.

Also Read:  Viral Video Of Lion Walking With Its Cubs Is The Cutest Thing On Internet Today

One wrote, "I just love how this apex predator jumps into the cart and everybody's just like "PET DA KITTY!" To be fair, I would be too, lol."

"I would have ran faster than Usain Bolt off that enclosure," said another one.

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"Yall had a lion RUN UP AND JUMP on the vehicle and even go TRAMPLING on some of the tourists and your first instinct is to PET HER??" commented a third user. 

A fourth user said, "I would've passed right out. I would have been completely ignorant of the fact it was a friendly lion, until I woke up to find everyone else still alive."

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Lioness Jumps Inside A Tourist Van On Safari; Here's What Happened Next

Curated By : Buzz Staff

Local News Desk

Last Updated: August 22, 2023, 12:11 IST

Delhi, India

The on-lookers recorded the whole encounter.

What’s shocking about the clip is that the travellers seem to be at ease with the animal’s presence.

A jungle safari is a way to get a closer look at the wild animals. What if these animals get a bit too close to the humans during one such safari? A video showcasing a similar situation is going viral on social media. The clip shows how a lioness jumps into a safari van carrying tourists. What’s shocking is that the travellers seem to be at ease with the animal’s presence. In fact, they even cuddle with the lioness one by one. The lioness, without a care in the world, started to rub itself and cuddle with the group of tourists. The people, seemingly unafraid of the wild animal, petted it on the head while it showed affection to them. The on-lookers recorded the whole encounter.

The clip was posted on Twitter. The tweet on the video read, “OMG never thanks!” The post got 18.4 million views on the social media platform. Netizens expressed awe and fear in the comments. One user said, “Good kitty,” the next comment read, “I will never try this.” Another user said, “It’s a cool experience if you live through it.” One comment gave it a practical approach, “Things can get scary so fast and I won’t risk it lol.”

OMG never thanks! 😂 pic.twitter.com/5R7yOzOBbD — Figen (@TheFigen_) August 19, 2023

Another video featuring a lioness went viral last year. It showed a scene quite contrary to what we saw above. The clip, which went viral on Twitter, showed a man sitting alone in a jeep during a safari. Suddenly, a lioness slowly appears behind him, catching the man off-guard. The man visibly froze for a few seconds that followed after he spotted the lioness. The clip amassed millions of views and likes on the platform. The account also shared that the man was unharmed. It went viral in no time.

Surprise.. 😧🎥 IG: everseensa pic.twitter.com/5PawWdt6V6 — Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) November 5, 2022

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Lion attack on safari truck inspires warning: 'respect the locals', share this article.

A South Africa-based tour company has shared footage showing a lion biting a safari vehicle and growling as an emphatic warning for the intruders to back off.

Lucien Beaumont of Beaumont Adventures used the footage to remind anyone planning a safari to respect wild critters at all times.

“ALWAYS RESPECT THE LOCALS,” Beaumont exclaimed on Instagram . “Whilst on safari, always remember that the animals are not there for our viewing pleasure… we are merely visitors in their home environment!”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lucien Beaumont (@lucienbeaumont)

In the footage the backs slowly away while the lion, still agitated, turns its back and glances over its shoulder as if to see if its warning was heeded.

Reads a top comment: “Well said. This lion’s reaction needs to be shared. He is the boss and needs full respect. Too often one sees humans take advantage of their safety within their vehicle.”

The footage was shared via X by Lion Lovers, a page dedicated to lions in Africa, which stated: “Totally agree! Their home, their space, respect it!”

–Image courtesy of Lucien Beaumont

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Video captures lion in tug-of-war with safari truck: ‘big cat playing with a toy’.

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They’re towing the lion.

Footage captured the hilarious moment a massive African lion went toe-to-tow with a safari SUV — clamping down on its tow rope and refusing to let go.

“It was like a big cat playing with a toy,” tour guide Jabulani Salinda, 49, told Kennedy News of the tug-of- roar , which occurred while he was leading a group through Baobab Ridge Game Lodge, South Africa, on Nov. 18.

The animal expert had reportedly been alerted by a colleague that a male lion was in the area. However, when he tried to maneuver his vehicle to get a better look, it became stuck in the dirt and had to be freed with a tow rope.

Unfortunately, their rescue attempt backfired after the big cat in question bit down on their lifeline.

“Before I could pull the rope back in, it caught the eye of the lion,” described the bemused wildlife guide. “He wandered over and grabbed the end of it.”

The accompanying hair-raising clip shows the plains-dwelling predator tugging at the end of the rope like a terrestrial tuna fish as guests guffaw in the background. At one point, the regal beast even tries to wrap the rope around a tree, presumably, to try and anchor the truck in place.

Even after the car pulls away, the stubborn carnivore continues to cling doggedly to the rope, which then drags him along like a water-skier on the Savannah.

Naturally, the safari-goers were initially concerned “that the lion’s interest in the rope would bring him up closer to the jeep,” said Salina. However, the cat tracker realized that the fearsome feline “wasn’t approaching with anger” — rather, he simply “saw the opportunity to play with something new.”

“I calmed them down and we were all able to enjoy the moment,” said Salina of his passengers on their accidental cat-fishing excursion.

Salinda said the tug-of-war finally ended after a group of lionesses strolled past, prompting Simba to release his newfound chew toy and join them, Kennedy News reported.

However, like with the line-biting lion, the wilderness expert hasn’t been able to shake the encounter since.

“I’ve been a tour guide for 19 years and I have never known a lion [to] play like this before,” he said.

This isn’t the first time someone has witnessed animals behaving strangely while on safari. Early this month, a stalwart buffalo in South Africa was filmed incredibly standing its ground against a white rhino more than three times its size — despite getting charged and hoisted off the ground. 

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• PETS & ANIMALS

Aggressive elephant lifts safari car filled with tourists into the air in South Africa

A frightening moment for a group of tourists in South Africa was caught on camera when an elephant approached their safari truck and partially lifted it up into the air.

The incident happened March 18 in Pilanesberg National Park, northwest of Johannesburg.

The group of local South Africans were touring the area when they got too close to the elephant bull to take pictures. That's when the large animal became aggressive and approached the safari truck.

Video from the scene shows the elephant lifting the front portion of the vehicle with its tusks before letting it drop to the ground. Screaming can be heard in the video.

The guide backed up the vehicle and slammed his hand against what appears to be the door in attempt to convince the elephant to stop.

The tour operator Mankwe Game Trackers told ABC News they understand the elephant was in musth, a periodic state of the bull elephant characterized by aggressive behavior and a surge of testosterone levels.

Nobody was hurt in the encounter, but the park offered counseling for those who were the most rattled.

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• SOUTH AFRICA
• SOUTH AFRICA TOURISM
• CAUGHT ON VIDEO

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Elephant caught on camera attacking safari truck

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'Aggressive' Bull Elephant Charges and Lifts Safari Truck Blocking His Path in Shocking Footage

The field manager of the tour company involved in the incident said the elephant responded to tourists getting too close to take pictures

• A safari truck had a frightening run-in with an angry bull elephant on March 20 at Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa
• The elephant lifted and dropped the vehicle, which was filled with tourists, several times
• The field manager for the tour company involved said the animal got "aggressive" after tourists got too close to take photos

Tourists on a safari in South Africa had a wild and unexpected animal encounter.

According to the Associated Press, a group of tourists were on a safari trip through Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa on March 20 when they encountered a pushy bull elephant.

The animal was unhappy with the vehicle's proximity. In response to the truck's presence, the wild animal charged toward the vehicle and tossed it several times, per the AP, almost piercing the truck with its tusks.

Footage from the incident shared on TikTok by @hendryblom shows the animal walking at the truck and then lifting it with his trunk while the driver of the vehicle yells at the enormous creature. In the video, the elephant drops the truck on the ground, backs away, then approaches the vehicle again and picks it up. After the elephant drops the safari truck for a second time in the clip, the vehicle reverses out of the animal's path.

"We might win next time at 2 truths and a lie," the TikTok user captioned the clip. The poster, named Hendry Blom, told ABC News that those who witnessed the clash "were definitely scared, especially for the people in the truck."

StringersHub

The shocking footage has received over 65.3 million views. A second video posted by @hendryblom shows the same incident from inside the safari vehicle.

According to the AP, the driver and passengers were not injured during their encounter with the elephant but were frightened by the interaction.

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Poncho Mogodiri, the field operations manager of the tour company operating the vehicle, Mankwe Game Trackers, told ABC News the incident with the elephant occurred when tourists "came too close to the elephant to take pictures, and he started getting aggressive."

Mogodiri also said the elephant was in musth, a periodic condition in bull elephants that leads to increased reproductive hormones and aggressive behavior.

Pilanesberg National Park is investigating the incident.

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