Here’s a heart-stopping latest video of a little boy at a zoo in Chiba, Japan who was almost ruthlessly attacked by a loin if there was no glass enclosure.

The big cat attempted to pounce on a little boy, but thanks to the glass enclosure that ended up his prey bid foiled. The lunging lion hit the glass and could get to the boy.

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The clip begins with the two-year-old boy leaning up against the glass staring at the lion  and when the toddler turns around the animal runs at speeds towards him.

Keepers at Chiba Zoological Park say the lion, that weighs around 185kg, acts this way whenever he sees small children, insisting that his reaction is a playful one, reported the NTV News24.

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However, animal rights campaigner, Adam M. Roberts, CEO of non-profit organisation Born Free USA, disagrees to the notion.

“Lions are natural wild predators and the child in this video, especially when turning his back to the massive feline, becomes prey in the animal’s eyes,” he told the local paper.

“The firm glass wall held the lion inside his enclosure, surely frustrating his innate instincts. But luckily for the family, if the barrier had not held the consequences could have been catastrophic.”