Lion plays tug-of-war with tourist vehicle, video goes viral

A YouTube video of a lion playing ‘tug-of-war’ with a tourist vehicle in South Africa has gone viral on social media. 

The video, captured at Baobab Ridge Game, was posted by Dogtooth Media and it has thousands of views.

“These tour guides got more than they bargained for when they found themselves playing tug of war with a playful LION,” the caption read.

The clip sees the animal clamping on the car’s tow rope and refusing to let it go. It then falls from the beast’s mouth after getting stuck to a tree.

The lion remained steadfast despite the vehicle beginning to move. He got dragged a few metres and was tailing the vehicle with the rope in its mouth.

The commotion finally ended after the lion finally release the rope while a pack of lionesses were strolling past the scene.

Read More: Lion ambushes its prey right in front of safari tourists

A tour guide Jabulani Salinda, speaking with a foreign news agency, mentioned that the cat appeared he was leading the tourists through the area.

He said that the dangling rope caught the lion’s attention as he was pulling and clamped on it.

Salinda added that the tourists got concerned as they thought the lion’s antics would bring it closer to them.

The tour guide stated that he calmed the tourists and get to enjoy the moment instead.