Lion gets up close and personal with game ranger

Ever wondered what you would do if a lion decided to get up close and personal with you in the bush?

Game ranger and tracker Eric Ubisi kept himself as cool as a cucumber when a young lion decided to get up close to him at the Tintswalo Safari Lodge.

He says he was not scared at all when the animal decided to get a closer look at him and the safari vehicle, and he actually enjoyed the encounter.

Watch: Lion attempts attack on two-year-old at Zoo 

According to TimesLIVE, Eric said: “If this were any other lion, I wouldn’t have allowed him to get so close, but this lion I know. He is relaxed, that lion is like my dog at home.”

I never thought I would live to hear of someone compare a lion to a “dog at home”. I went to the Lion Park and I got to do a one-on-one encounter with lion cubs. These babies were three months old and their paws were the size of my hand. Granted, I don’t have the biggest hands in the world, but now imagine a big lion. When we went on the game drive later on that evening, one of the bigger male lions got up against the truck and I honestly thought it would topple over. I started reciting Ave Maria, and mentally apologising to my parents for all the trouble I had ever caused them.

Lions don’t phase Eric, however, because according to him: “I have spent a lot of time in the bush, and you can judge the behaviour of an animal. You can see when it is going to charge."

Good for you, Eric. Miss Zaba here will admire from a distance.

See the incredible picture here