Having recently interacted with a lioness only metres away, and possibly charged with testosterone, the lion was full of bravado when he marched right up to a car window and violently swiped a paw at the driver.
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Male lions can weigh up to 225kg, and this certainly was one of the biggest Mark had seen.
Frustrated Male Lion Tries To Woo Uninterested Lioness
Mark explains that he had plans to go to Lower Sabie along the H1-2 and then H12, but he had been stopped by the driver of a car who told him to take the H12 turnoff because of some lions.
“I was glad that I would finally see something interesting,” he says.
On arrival, he saw a lion and a lioness lying in the road. “Because the lions were on the road, the cars were a bit of a mess. I patiently waited my turn to get front-row parking. People were slowly moving off and more arriving, as is usual with a lion sighting.”
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Mark explains that his car was eventually given a front row viewing of the lions. “By this time, the big lion had made a few advances on the female, nuzzling her and trying to get her consent, but every time, he was rebuffed with a fierce growl from her. After the umpteenth attempt, all of a sudden, he walked away from her.”
Lion Brazenly Approaches The Vehicle
While this sighting began with spectators watching the lions from their windows, the dynamics now shifted to the lion staring back into the windows of the cars. He now set his focus on the cars, filled with occupants who were watching him.
Mark said, “I guess that he either decided to see if he could impress his lady with some bravado, or else he needed something to take his frustrations out on.”
The male approached a vehicle, a mighty spectacle of a predator with a glorious mane and determination in his stare.
The occupants of the vehicle were likely unnerved, staring out at the lion, which was now staring back at them! A lion’s gaze can be a little unsettling, especially when that lion is charged with testosterone and male bravado.
In a flash, he lifted up a paw, taking a direct swipe at the driver’s window. This will possibly go down as one of the scarier moments in the driver’s game-viewing experiences.
Fortunately, he had his window rolled up! Things might have played out very differently had his window been open.
The male lion gave him a ‘Take that’ stare and paused a moment, in a display of dominance.
All the while, the lioness lay quite regally on the road. She didn’t seem too moved by his gestures, but perhaps he won something of her heart through his brazen approach to the vehicle and his manly antics.
A Reminder To Keep Windows Rolled Up
Mark says the tourist in the vehicle, which had been approached by the lion, was shaken by the encounter. “When looking at the reaction of the driver in the video, it did not even seem as if he was that afraid,” he says. “But on speaking to them afterward, I think that they were fairly traumatised.”
He says that the lioness later moved into the shade, and once again, the lion decided to see if she was interested. He again was rebuffed.
“This time, the closest vehicle was an open-top safari vehicle. Thankfully, the game guide driving this vehicle had lightning reflexes. As soon as the lion locked eyes with him, he started the vehicle and was already moving when the lion attacked. “
This sighting is a stark reminder of why it’s best to keep windows rolled up when parked at a sighting. “I also want to stress that the tourists did absolutely nothing wrong,” says Mark. “In fact, no one was hurt, simply because they followed all of the rules and did not panic.”