Watch the video here:
Danie Bronkhorst sent this funny footage to Latest Sightings. He filmed it while visiting Rockfig Safari Lodge in South Africa’s Timbavati Nature Reserve.
Drinks interrupted
We are met with an unusual sight as Danie’s video begins. A lioness has interrupted their drinks break.
While we can’t be sure what happened before, it’s safe to assume that Danie and his companions had been about to enjoy sundowners when the lioness arrived.
Sensibly, they sought safety on the game drive vehicle while waiting to see what the lion would do. For her part, the lioness appeared more interested in the cooler box than the people it belonged to.
However, when she was surprised by the sounds that came out of it, she opted to explore further.
Fancy a drink?
Next to catch her attention was the drinks table set up nearby. While she was cautiously sniffing the snacks on offer, a young male joined her.
Subsequently, when the lioness found nothing to her taste, her attention turned to the tablecloth. As for the male, he didn’t seem interested at all and lay down nearby.
As the cloth swayed in the gentle breeze, the big cat initially struggled to get a grip on it. However, when she did, she gave it a good pull.
Spooked!
As she did, the objects on the table shook violently, making a noise that startled both her and the young males nearby.
Coolerbox it is
Having lost her nerve exploring the drinks table, the lioness turned her attention back to the coolerbox. By this time, more members of her pride had arrived.
As you can imagine, Danie and co stayed firmly seated while watching the amusing spectacle unfold. Once again, the lioness pawed at the strange object, this time with more curious onlookers.
And once again, she was startled away when its contents rattled.
Get our Best Sightings as they Come in
Leave it to me
At this point, the young male who’d previously been disinterested decided it was time to intervene. Rising from his position behind the lioness, he pushed his way to the front of the group.
Male lions are often called upon to deal with larger prey. So too it seems do they take it upon themselves to deal with unknown objects.
Nonetheless, he was not about to rush in recklessly. Instead, he, too, cautiously sniffed at the cooler bag. We can only imagine there may have been biltong (dried meat) snacks inside to warrant this level of interest.
Snatch-job
Then, having decided it posed no threat, he sank his teeth into the soft bag.
Unsurprisingly, the bag offered no resistance to his mighty jaws. In a flash, he had it in his mouth…
With that, he picked it up and ran off with it. Once again, the rattling contents sent some of the pride running in all directions.
However, the male was brave, and he had his prize. Right from under the noses of the watching humans. Not that they were about to intervene.
Consequently, the young male ran off to investigate his prize. At this point, his pride mates gathered to see what he’d “caught”.
Unfortunately, we don’t get to find out what happened next. But if you see a pride of lions carrying a cooler bag, please let us know.
