Watch Moment Lions Stalk Tourists in African Safari Park: ‘They Smell Fear’

A video capturing a dramatic encounter between a group of tourists and a pride of lions at the Lion & Safari Park in Johannesburg, South Africa has gone viral on TikTok.
The video, posted by 34-year-old Corne Rabie (@its_the_corn), has amassed over 839,000 views since it was shared on September 11.
A caption shared with the post says, “I took friends of mine to a lion park in Johannesburg and the lions decided to play with us.” Rabie, who creates content for social media and works as a data manager for several companies, told Newsweek that the footage was captured on September 3, while his friends from abroad were visiting South Africa.
The clip shows a group of lions stalking and surrounding Rabie’s vehicle, coming within inches of the windows. The experience, filled with excitement and a tinge of fear, has left viewers across social media captivated by the lions’ close approach.
The video opens with a lion calmly walking toward the car while a voice off-camera says “Oh, the lion is coming straight to us, he’s just walking.” A note overlaid on the video later reads, “Oh my gosh, I’ve never had one this close leaning up against my car.”
Rabie told Newsweek: “My friend and his husband came to South Africa for a vacation, and I took them to the lion park,” Rabie said. “There were three of us in the car, myself and my two friends from the U.K. We were driving in my car as you can choose to take a safari with the park or use your own car.”
Rabie mentioned that this visit was particularly memorable since it was the first time lions actively engaged with him. “Usually, when you see lions in the park, they are lying down and not paying you any mind. But these lions were very active and playful,” he said.
The video shows a male lion leading two lionesses toward the car. The male lion’s behavior marked a clear display of territorial instincts. “He marked the car with his scent, and that was causing the lioness to keep coming up to the car and trying to bite the car,” Rabie told Newsweek.
This scent marking, according to a December 2008 study published in PLOS One, is a form of territorial behavior seen in adult male lions, who patrol and mark their territories to deter rivals.
The study said: “Adult male lions maintain a territory largely contiguous with that of their home range and discourage rivals from entering these by patrolling, scent-marking and roaring.”
As the encounter escalated, the lioness “tried to bite my front driver tire, and that is when I decided that it is best to try and move the wheels a little bit so that she cannot get a grip on the tire,” Rabie said. “I was nervous for the damage that I thought the lion might do to my car, but I was not scared that the lion would get to me.”
The encounter in the viral video serves as a reminder of the risks that come with venturing into animal habitats, especially as conservationists highlight the plight of African lions.
Classified as vulnerable by the African Wildlife Foundation, the lion population in Africa has decreased by an estimated 43 percent in the past two decades, with only about 23,000 lions remaining.
Expanding human populations and loss of habitat have forced these big cats into closer proximity with humans, sometimes resulting in attacks on livestock and retaliatory killings, the conservation group notes.
The viral TikTok clip shows the lioness retreating slightly as Rabie slowly moves the car forward to avoid any damage to the vehicle or harm to the lion.
Rabie noted that his companions had mixed reactions. While his friend in the back seat found the experience exciting, the friend’s husband was visibly nervous.
“This was his first time seeing a lion and his first trip to South Africa,” Rabie said, while the other friend had a previous experience at the park that included petting young lions.
The encounter continued for nearly 25 minutes, as the lioness repeatedly circled the car, responding to the male lion’s scent on the vehicle.
Eventually, Rabie managed to accelerate slightly, distancing the vehicle from the lioness without alarming her. Park rangers later informed him that moving the car had likely prevented the lioness from inflicting damage on the tires, as “the lion would have torn the tire off,” the rangers said.
TikTok viewers expressed their own amazement and fear of the scene in the viral clip.
User justess57 said, “These guys fear absolutely nothing.” Isna Olivier said, “You guys are lucky they can do a lot of harm to today’s tin cars. So true they smell fear.”
Another viewer, @c.a11yngot.motionnnn, said, “I would have fainted, omg” and @simply_marylin said, “The way I am panicking watching this—my heart yoh!”
“Yooooh why am I scared on your behalf” said mabuntlerlulonkem. Meanwhile, DintleM said, “My right mind would never allow such—new fear unlocked, no lion park for me.”
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