Tourist Sees a Look From Lion They Will Never Forget

You can almost read this lion’s thoughts as he stares hungrily into a safari jeep. It looks as if he is weighing up whether the humans are a legitimate prey target or not. The footage was captured in the Masai Mara area of Africa, and even the safari guides got a little worried by this lion’s attitude. They start the jeep up and that breaks his stare and makes him walk away. Scroll down if you want to know what it feels like to be sized up as a lion’s lunch!

What Do Lions Normally Eat?

Lions are carnivores and eat a wide range of prey. They often target medium to large ungulates and this would include African buffalo, zebra, and warthogs. These guys are quite happy to take domestic livestock including sheep and goats. They make a large kill about once a week. In between larger kills, they live off birds, fish, reptiles, and even insects.

Would a Lion Eat a Human?

Now that we have established that lions are generalist hunters and are not too fussy about what they eat, it should come as no surprise to learn that lions will attack and eat humans. An example of this occurred in 2015 when a female lion attacked and killed a 29-year-old American woman. She had been on safari in the Johannesburg area of South Africa. Sadly, she had rolled down her car window so that she could take some pictures. Having stopped three feet from the vehicle, the lion suddenly lunged. This is why we are warned to keep our windows up during safaris.

This was an incredible tragedy for the woman and her family but from the lion’s point of view it was perfectly normal. Of all the African countries, Tanzania has the highest number of lions. Between 1990 and 2004, this country recorded 308 injuries and 563 fatalities caused by lions. The rate of attacks in this area is rising and this may be because the human population is increasing. Many of the attacks occur during the harvest season and more than 18 percent were in victims younger than 10 years of age. Lions do not discriminate when it comes to human attacks. There are reports of them pulling people out of bed and taking children when they are playing outside. Terrifyingly, lions are powerful enough to force their way through flimsy thatched walls!

See the Scary Clip Below