DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — What would you do if you came face-to-face with a young lion for a moment?
This is precisely what happened in a video documented and published on the Internet by Charles Van Staden, who founded the travel company “Evercene Africa” with his wife Serena Negro.
In the video clip, a tracker can be seen sitting in a designated seat in a car before a young lion comes up behind him and surprises him.
This video was recorded at Bunturu Lodge located in the Greater Kruger National Park in South Africa.
The encounter took place in front of tourists on June 14 when they were watching a clash between a group of 13 lions and a large herd of buffalo.
Van Staden pointed out that the man in the video, Eric, a professional tracker, did not expect the lion to sneak up from behind the car.
Although it was an unexpected situation, van Staden confirmed that the tracker handled it well.
Van Staden said trackers are “very experienced in studying the behavior of wild animals, and they have to know how to handle every situation.”
The encounter, which has garnered more than 30 million views in about a week on Instagram, lasted only a minute, but it was enough to surprise online followers.
Van Staden believes the reason people were surprised by the video was because they didn’t know what happened next, adding that “the interaction between Eric and the young lion was soulful and very respectful. Eric was scared because he wasn’t holding the handle…but sat quietly to show respect to the lion.”
For those wondering what happened to the tracker, van Staden noted that the young lion turned his attention to the herd of buffalo that were chasing him along with other lions.
Six years ago, van Staden and his wife, Serena Negro, left their previous jobs to pursue their safari design dreams.
Both guide people across Africa through safari experiences and expeditions.
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