36-year-old Bronwyn Hattingh caught this encounter on film and sent it in, telling Latest Sightings that she was with her husband and they “were driving in convoy with friends “Anri and Ansie” who were driving just behind them.
In the early morning they came across six lions that “were yawning and waking up for the day”, and most of them moved off into the bush except for one young male.
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Bronywn said that her husband “decided to drive slowly past the young lion” so that others could move closer to see the rest of the pride, but the male became “very interested” in their friends’ mirror covers.
Feline Investigation
The lion dedicated some time to conducting a thorough investigation of the car, giving the front a good sniff, and it looked like it was going to start chewing on the mirrors before something made it recoil.
It might have just been the movement of Anri and Ansie inside the car, or the sound of the engine might have spooked the big cat, or it could even have seen its own reflection in the door or window.
Either way it quickly got over its scare, and resumed its interest, sniffing at the mirror again, and observing the car before it moved closer and started trying to open the rear door.
Clever Cat
It must be a huge disappointment to cats everywhere that they haven’t yet evolved opposable thumbs, as this lion used its teeth to lift the handle and try to pry open the door.
Bronwyn said that “you could hear the handle opening and closing” twice, and that it “was as if he had done it many times before”. Thankfully they’d locked the car door, so despite its best efforts the lion couldn’t actually get in.
This was only a small comfort to Ansie, as Bronwyn said that “Ansie who was in the back seat” was worried about having the large lion so close, and “she thought he would jump on their roof!”
Big Cats
Standing at its full height, the lion was tall enough to peer into the windows of their car, and even if it was only expressing its interest, it must have been rather intimidating to see one so close.
And even more intimidating hearing it trying to get into the car. Lions aren’t inherently aggressive towards people, but they’re still wild animals which might attack with seemingly little provocation.
After trying the rear doors, Bronwyn said he “wanted to investigate the boot which he also tried to open”, but at that point Anri began driving away.
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A Genuine Interest
Cats of all ages can be playful, and this young male wasn’t being threatening or aggressive as it investigated the car. It was just being curious, and playing with the mirror and the handles.
According to Bronwyn, Anri had been lucky enough to see more lions just off the S100 which had also taken an interest in her car, so it’s possible that that one was just picking up on their scent, and that’s why it was so focused on that specific car.
It’s important to remember to keep car doors locked and windows up when powerful predators like these start getting close, just to ensure personal safety.