Lion Roadblock
By Mark McConville
WATCH as this stubborn lion refuses to budge from blocking the road into a conservation camp until he gets enough attention from his favourite human pal.
The cute clip shows mighty lion, Smokey make a beeline for the conservation worker to indulge in a shower of cuddles before he eventually does what’s being asked of him.
Lion manager Mike duly obliges and strokes Smokey’s mane before trying to coax him through the gate to clear the passage for vehicles.
The heartwarming footage was filmed at GG Conservation Glen Garriff in South Africa.
“We cannot claim to ever know what lions are ‘thinking’ but every evening the gate from Smokey’s camp is opened to the passage so that he can come and go as he pleases,” said a spokesperson Suzanne Scott.
“It also gives us some security too. Every morning when Mike comes in to work he has this ritual with Smokey to get him back into his own camp so we can use the passage for vehicles.
“It is our belief that Smokey often delays this process for more attention from Mike, who is his favourite person.
“But after all, Smokey is a big cat, and we all know that everything with cats is on their own terms.”
Glen Garriff is committed to the sustainability of the African lion Gene Pool and to the enhancement of the study, learning and understanding of the species.
Their purpose is to preserve their eight family group gene pool which were selectively bred to give them magnificent disease free specimens that can be introduced into other like-minded lion reserves, and hopefully in the future also reintroduced into the semi wild.
Over the next few years GG Conservation’s vision and purpose to preserve the African lion gene pool formed and became a goal.
“We love our work as it enables us to live closely with the most superior iconic predator in the world,” said Suzanne.
“We monitor and watch their behaviour and we listen to their roars all night long with is bone chillingly amazing.”
GG Conservation Glen Garriff is a registered non-profit company and need help to ensure the survival of the Panthera Leo.
You can donate to this cause here.
