Man Thinks He’s Special Enough To Pet A Lion – He Will Regret It
The incident was captured on camera by his wife (Video)
All of us are well aware that wild animals can be dangerous, especially the perfect hunters and predators like big cats. Though despite tigers, lions and jaguars are regarded as some of the world’s deadliest cats, all the cuddly lion videos or frequent visits to the zoo might strip our guards down and make it seem as if all the big felines are nothing than just family-sized kittens. One of the people who experienced an unfortunate reminder of how perilous those kitties can be is Pieter Nortje, he was visiting the Tikwe River Lodge in Virginia, South Africa with his wife Ilze where the pair were celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary.
As the two were given a guided tour of the lions at the game lodge, Pieter decided to get closer to the lions and pet them. Nortje reached his arm through a fence and stroked a first lion, but as a second lioness approached, she locked her teeth into his flesh and began tugging on his arm. The incident was captured on camera by Ilze and shows Pieter playfully chatting with the animals, absolutely oblivious to the dangers of the cats’ presence. As he pets the male lion, Nortje can be heard saying “If you bite me, then I’m going to bite you back,” as if he was foreshadowing what was about to happen.
He reached his arm through the fence and stroked the lion
Though despite male lion responding well to the man’s touch, soon things so south within mere seconds as a lioness approaches and instantly grabs hold of Pieter’s outstreched arm, hanging from a hole in the fence. The animal’s teeth reportedly sunk deep into the man’s arm, reaching bone as the lioness held him for a couple of seconds. As the wife screamed “It’s biting him, it’s biting him!” the man finally managed to get his arm out of the animal’s grasp and he was immediately whisked to the Katleho Hospital in Virginia. He received 60 stitches to seal up the wound and he’s now waiting for a skin graft and will be unable to work for at least two months, but he holds no grudges. Watch the video, looking back on the attack, he feels lucky to still be alive.
