The video was posted to TikTok on Tuesday by an account under the name, Life (@animalslions). The footage has amassed more than 4 million views and sparked a divide among commenters, as some described it as a “dream” while others said they’d “pass” on the experience.
According to the account’s bio, the video was filmed at Taigan Safari Park in Belohorsk, Crimea—a park that is reportedly famous for offering tourists close encounters with large jungle cats.
The video opens with the giant predator crawling into the front of the safari car. Once inside, it climbs over a few rows of seats and eventually rests its head on one guest’s shoulder. Meanwhile, the car’s other passengers take turns petting the jungle cat, until eventually, it jumps out of the car and back onto the ground.
Several videos from the TikTok page show similar encounters.
Though the park’s lions appear friendly, it’s important to note that lions are dangerous. In 2018, for example, a guest of the park was mauled by a lion after entering its enclosure to pose for photos, according to The Independent.
The woman, Olga Solomina, told Crimea 24 that the lion “grabbed [her] right hand” and “dragged [her] like a doll.” Fortunately, she escaped the incident with only minor injuries to her arm, The Independent said.
The zoo’s director, Oleg Zubkov, later went on record to say that the zoo had never experienced a similar incident and blamed the attack on Solomina being “slightly drunk,” The Independent continued.
Speaking to National Geographic, conservation scientist Luke Dollar said: “Almost any organism around lions might be a potential prey item, and for people to think that they are an exception is folly.”
Still, many of the video’s commenters said they’d love the chance to cuddle up beside a lion.
“I would love this,” wrote Lynz.
“I’d be terrified but it would be the best day of my life and I definitely would’ve gotten some pats in,” said NihilistTeddy3.
AJ added: “I wanna pet the baby!”
Other commenters, of course, weren’t so charmed by the video.
“There isn’t enough money in the world to convince me that this is okay…h**l naw,” commented Sedonatothemax.
“[I] love animals but HECK NO!!” exclaimed reedley00.
Myriam Burch stated: “No way…not me I don’t want to be dinner.”
The video isn’t the first lion-human interaction to attract widespread attention.
Last year, a TikTok video of a man cuddling with a lion on a couch went viral with nearly 100 million views. In October, a wildlife professional named Shandor Larenty posted a video that shows him plating a kiss on a lion’s nose. And in January, a video of a young girl carrying a lion cub down the street went viral on Reddit.
