Three large male lions gave 24-year-old, Candidate Attorney, Simone van Schalkwyk and those with her on a game drive a thrilling viewing experience, when two of them came right up to her car near the Lower Sabie camp in the Kruger National Park.
Heather Djunga
Simone and the occupants of the vehicle quickly learned that a male lion is substantially larger up close than far away when two of the male lions decided to approach their car for a closer look.
One even looked her straight in the eyes, she said!
Simone said they had gone out on a very early morning game drive with the hope of spotting lions. “After passing some buffalo dung we carried on driving and then we saw these beautiful male lions walking in the road – finally, we had found them!”
Three beautiful male lions were on the road and held the full attention of passing motorists who had stopped to take in the sight.
However, the lions didn’t stay lying down. Two of them slowly got up – showing a lot of interest in the car Simone was in.
They came right up to the vehicle, and there was a moment of tension as a large male lion walked past the car’s passenger seat window, with the window right down!
The occupants of the vehicle possibly didn’t realise how big lions really were, however, it didn’t take Simone and those with her long to roll up the windows to secure the vehicle.
What followed was minutes of tentative viewing, with Simone audibly expressing her fears. These were big lions and they rubbed themselves against the bonnet, and looked straight through the windows at the vehicle’s occupants.
“The emotions were unreal and slightly mixed, I was filled with excitement as well as a bit of fear seeing these male lions up close,” said Simone, of the experience of being so close to real lions. Their sheer size and majesty was magnified as they were viewed up close and personal.
Only the thin wall of the vehicle and the windows separated her from these ferocious predators. The video is a wonderful documentary which expresses both her wonder and fear as the lions encircled the car.
“I love the bush and visit quite often but I have never experienced anything like this before. I am so lucky and blessed to have witnessed a lion look me straight in the eyes!” she said.
She and those with her spent quite some time with the lions. The lions eventually lost interest and they moved on. However, this was an experience that Simone will never forget.
Adult male lions usually weigh between 330 and 570 pounds and have a body length ranging from 5.6 to 8.3 feet. Their mane, a defining characteristic, symbolizes vitality and dominance
As far as this encounter was concerned, they definitely succeeded in showing who was boss! Simone will always remember coming face to face with the king of the jungle!
