Dianne captured a rare scene: a pride of lions tugging on the loose tow rope of the open safari vehicle she was in.
Watch The Sighting:
The footage reveals how cats will be cats, no matter whether domestic or wild.
The vehicles used in these private game reserves are built to bush bash in the most remote of places, so it’s a very rare sighting to see one of these cars get stuck. But that’s exactly what happened to the 4×4 Dianne was riding in.
The vehicle was subsequently set free with the help of a fellow ranger using a tow rope. Shortly after, the real fun began.
Lion Surprises Tourists With Tug At Tow Rope
The open vehicle that helped the other hadn’t had time to wind the rope back in before the vehicles came across a pride of playful lions.
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The lions quickly spotted the rope and treated it as a plaything. They pursued the rope, a nd one of the lions caught up with its loose end.
This brave lioness took on the vehicle in a makeshift game of tug and war. She tugged determinedly at the rope and refused to let go.
The vehicle drove quite a distance with the lioness in tow. She gripped the rope with her teeth, displaying surprising strength. However, in this game of tug and war, the vehicle was winning.
More Pride Members Join In On Game
A second lioness joined in on the game. The two lionesses now followed the vehicle, the first holding firmly to the rope. And she clearly wasn’t letting go anytime soon!
The lioness displayed great perseverance. She held on through all kinds of terrain, the second lioness trailing after her.
However, the rest of the pride soon cottoned on, and the cubs came running up to the two adult lionesses. They were understandably even more playful than the adults.
What followed were some amusing antics as the pride attempted to ‘out-tug’ the vehicle.
At one point, a cub gritted its teeth and pulled at the rope with all its might, tail raised with all of its strength.
This pride was determined to show its strength, and pride members took turns pulling on the rope’s end.
Spectators in the open-back vehicles took the opportunity to take pictures of the lions’ playful antics.
Many times, lion sightings can be quite serious affairs. For example, lion kills can present sobering moments, and lions moving together as a pride or lying down in the shade of a tree can inspire awe.
However, this particular lion sighting was filled with humorous moments. It was definitely a one-of-a-kind encounter where a different side to the character of lions was on full display.
Tug Of War Game Ends With Epic Moments
The sweetest part of the encounter was the small lions putting every fibre in their beings into pulling at the rope. They had obviously seen the lionesses giving it a bash and put their whole hearts into joining in the pride-unifying activity.
However, while the lions put up a strong fight, the vehicle ended up winning the game.