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The incredible footage was captured by the team at Bhejane Nature Training on Somkhanda Game Reserve near Pongola in northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.
The group of nature guides and students woke early in the morning to find eight lions moving through their unfenced outpost. Dylan Panos, 46, owner and senior instructor at Bhejane Nature Training was in the kitchen building when he spotted a male lion through the mesh window and the lion spotted him right back.
The curious Lion is very interested in Dylan’s movements following him from window to window, growling, roaring and staring Dylan down.
Eventually the pride lost interest and left the camp but the incredible moment was captured on film and quickly gained traction online.
Dylan said: “Our camp is unfenced and in big five territory so animals often come through the camp. We are a Nature Guide Training company, and we train students to become professionally qualified nature guides, trails guides and marine guides in Southern Africa.”
“We woke up early in the morning with a group of eight lions moving through camp. They were very vocal, so we were all well aware of their presence just outside our tents.
“The students were all safely escorted to the Game Viewing vehicle to drive around camp and to see the lions. The lions moved through the camp and once they moved to behind the kitchen building we could no longer see them.
“Dylan at this point moved around to the kitchen to see where they went while the students were still safe with instructor Emilio van Dyk in the vehicle.”
“As he approached the building he saw the male through the mesh covering, and realised that the female was lying just below the wall close to the building as well.”
“We have animals like elephants and lions move around our camp quite frequently (the elephants like to come and drink from our JoJo water tanks) but it is quite rare for them to move through the buildings as they did this time.”
“It is also rare for them to be around human areas when mating – but we are assuming the female used this to her advantage to discourage the male from pursuing her – seems he had other plans and would not be so easily discouraged.”
“It took some convincing to get them to budge – but they eventually lost interest and left the camp.”
“The lions moved off, and the students were quite excited to chat about the incident at breakfast. We have often encountered the lions on foot when we are out on Trails, and usually they will simply move off and avoid humans, so it was quite special to have them laze about in camp as they did on this morning – essentially claiming our territory and not bothered by us at all.”
“This was a great learning experience for the students – this is not an experience anyone would like to have if they are unprepared for it – but having had this exposure and having been through a proper debrief by Dylan, allowed them to see first hand how to calmly diffuse the situation and how to deal with it if there were to have a similar encounter once they are out guiding themselves.”