A zookeeper who made the serious mistake of making eye contact with a male lion found himself being saved by an unlikely saviour after being attacked in a heart-stopping incident.
Footage of the incident surfaced on Reddit - which some users claim comes from a hotel in Las Vegas - and show a relatively tranquil scene quickly take a dramatic turn.
Have a look below, but we must warn you, the footage is quite distressing:
In the video, two zookeepers are seen in the lion's pen observing a male lion and a lioness who are both laying seemingly calmly on the ground. However, the short-haired zookeeper is keeping a firm stare on the male lion - which soon proves to be costly.
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The camera pans away but quickly turns back amidst cries from onlooking tourists as the lion goes for the keeper, managing to get him to the ground as it attempts to clamp down on his leg.
The other employee is quick to rush over but it's the reactions of the lioness that ultimately help both humans escape unhurt.
Rushing over, she falls on top of her mate and nips at his tail as he gets up, before eventually managing to get herself between him and the zookeepers, guiding him away from them until he storms off looking mightily disgruntled.
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It's a quick and efficient reaction that may well have saved the lives of at least one of the men.
Redditors were quick to take the side of the lion, with one writing: "His posture, his body language. It says 'Challenge' and the lion took it as such.
"I won't say he deserves to die, but I believe the lion should be forgiven, and the man never allowed in an enclosure with a wild animal again."
Another added: "Dude was staring down the lion. Don’t stare wild animals in the eyes. It’s never not a threat."
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A third took aim at the zoo itself, saying: "No zoo in their right mind would let workers or anyone be that close to lions. These people are obviously not trained properly in animal care."
Others saw the funny side of it, however, with one commenter quipping: "I think I heard the lioness say 'I can't take you anywhere'.
Well, it's safe to say the zookeeper has more than likely learned a very valuable lesson from this experience.
Topics: Animals
Simon Catling