'I'm playing with him!' Toddler giggles with glee as lion attempts to pounce through glass at Ohio zoo
- A child got an up-close encounter with a large lion at a zoo in Ohio
- The boy shrieks in delight as the lion swipes at the glass to get to him
- Mimicking his ferocious attempts, the child 'plays' with the cat
Coming eye-to-eye with the queen of the jungle would fill most people with terror - but one toddler in Ohio remained completely unfazed.
The young boy was filmed by his mum on a visit to the zoo, laughing in blissful ignorance as the large lion tries to make a snack out of him.
The child appears overjoyed at seeing the cat up close, mirroring the lion's giant swipes against the glass.
What a tease: The toddler appears to be completely unfazed by this hungry lioness' attempts to reach him
The lioness raises her paws against the glass as the child tells his mother that the cat is playing with him
The boy leans in for a closer look as the lion opens its powerful jaws against the glass window
'I'm playing with him,' the boy shrieks in delight, as the lion desperately tries to budge through the barrier.
The mum, who remains off camera, can be heard being more concerned about the child getting wet in puddles on the viewing platform floor, than him being lined up for a potential lunch.
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The lioness remains persistent, which only encourages the child get closer to her.
Instead of backing away as the lion opens its giant jaws against the window, the inquisitive boy leans nearer for a look inside its mouth.
Thankfully the thick glass meant that the boy was not in danger and he can look back at the footage as a memory of the extraordinary encounter.
Blissfully ignorant: The child appears overjoyed at seeing the cat up close, mirroring the lion's giant swipes against the glass
Nerves of steel: The lioness remains persistent, which only encourages the child get closer to her
Because of how most zoos are constructed—children’s heads tend to be right at the lion’s eye level
Craig Packer, of the Lion Research Center at the University of Minnesota, attempted to explain the large quantity of videos of lions 'playing' with children.
He noted that while 'some of the lions look quite playful in their attempts … sometimes the animals will spend several minutes playing with wildebeest calves or gazelle fawns before finally chomping them.'
He added that 'predators generally treat calves, fawns and babies differently from adults because they are such easy prey. There's no real chance of escape, so what's the hurry?'
Lions generally treat calves and fawns differently from adults because they are such easy prey
Thankfully the thick glass meant that the boy was not in danger and he can look back at the footage as a memory of the extraordinary encounter
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