A tourist nearly had his arm ripped off while trying to stroke a caged lioness, and the shocking incident was captured on camera by his wife. Pieter Nortje, 55, was being given a guided tour of the lions at a game lodge in South Africa, reports Daily Mail. During the tour, he puts his arms inside a lion enclosure in a bid to pet them.
The now-viral video shows him first stroking a male lion as he quips to his wife: "If you bite me, then I'm going to bite you back."
He then tries to pet a lioness - and things take a turn for the worse.
The video shows the lioness sinking her teeth into Mr Nortje's forearm as he screams. She then drags him towards the cage as his wife can be heard screaming "It's biting him, it's biting him."
According to Metro, the lioness kept a hold on a screaming Mr Nortje's arm for a full five seconds as he tried to break free. When she let go, he was immediately rushed to a hospital.
Watch the video below:
(Warning: Graphic content, viewer discretion advised)
They never learn pic.twitter.com/KDtWPRYrCr
— African (@ali_naka) April 10, 2019
Mr Nortje is now at the Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein in a serious condition and suffering septic shock.
Daily Mail reports that Tikwe River Lodge, where the incident took place, has denied all responsibility for the incident. They were quoted as saying: "There are warning signs everywhere. Nortje stuck his hand through the electric fence to touch the lions and was bitten."
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