Watch: Campers Wake Up to Lions Licking Tent

by
posted on May 24, 2016
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **

When you go camping, you're putting yourself smack dab in the middle of nature. When you go camping in Africa, that nature is often full of some of the world's largest, most dangerous critters. A few sightseers in Africa's Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (which sits on the border of South Africa and Botswana, for the record) recently had the wake-up call of a lifetime, courtesy of a couple of the aforementioned critters.

A video originally posted to Facebook by a "Francie Francisca Lubbe‎" shows two lions licking water off the side of a tent in the park—which very much has at least one person inside, obviously, given the perspective of the video. Props to the camera operator for remaining relatively cool and collected while just inches away from a pair of nature's most dangerous predators. I know camping gear is high-tech nowadays, but those cats could cut through that tent faster than I could a candy bar wrapper if the mood struck.

In this case, there was no further incident with the big cats. They had their morning drink and moved on. Hey, I like some water when I first wake, too. Still, it doesn't get much more "up close and personal" than this one. Check out the video for yourself—it's embedded above. You can also click here.

Latest

Leupold Binos
Leupold Binos

Review: Leupold BX-3 Alpine HD 12x50mm

Contributor Phil Massaro reviews the Leupold BX-3 Alpine HD 12x50 binocular, which offers a stellar image at an attractive price.

New for 2026: Browning Trail Cameras' Defender Vision Pro LSF

The Defender Vision Pro LSF is Browning Trail Cameras' 2026 livestream cellular trail camera, built for users seeking immediate visibility and real-time awareness from the field. It is designed for both property and game monitoring.

Texas, Hogs and Thermals

Follow along as Brian McCombie indulges in his favorite trio: Texas, hogs and thermals.

New for 2026: Real Avid AR-15/AR-10 Master Collections

Real Avid has taken its AR-15 and AR-10 tooling and maintenance products and bundled them into anew Master Collections series, providing AR-platform fans with one-stop solutions to meet their specific AR needs.

Turkey Decoys All Season Long

Opening day of turkey season was rainy and cold. However, thanks to scouting and trail cameras, Scott Haugen had a plan. Matter of fact, from the first day to the last, Scott has a way to set the decoys to bring the birds in. Curious? Read on for some great strategies.

New for 2026: Hornady .223 WSSM and .243 WSSM Superformance Varmint

Hornady has announced the availability of .223 WSSM 55-grain V-Max and .243 WSSM 75-grain V-Max loads in the Superformance Varmint line.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.