Nature
PUBLISHED
Childhood is a simpler time, when even a 185-kilogram (405-pound) lion trying to pounce on you doesn’t so much as make you blink.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.This amateur footage comes from Chiba Zoological Park near Tokyo, Japan. It shows an adult male lion running towards a 2-year-old boy, only to collide with the enclosure's glass wall.
Local news reported that zoo keepers say the lion often acts “playful” around small children. However, others aren’t so sure about this cheery interpretation.
Speaking to The Dodo, Adam M. Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA, thinks the lion had another motive on his mind.
He said: "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.
"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."
