Visitors to a wildlife park in New Zealand got to encounter a pride of lions up-close and personal. Filmed at the Orana Wildlife Park – the country’s only open-range zoo – the video shows the lions interacting with the visitors who stand inside a metal cage attached to a car. The video, which was captured by Ekant Veer, 35, an associate professor at the University of Canterbury, also shows the lions scaling the cage and eating meat through its bars. The lions at Orana Wildlife Park approach the metal cage and begin interacting with the people inside . Standing with its paws against the cage, a lion is introduced as Sakura who is around 11-years-old and weighs about 265kg. As the keeper speaks, the lion licks at a piece of meat that is held up against the bars as another lion walks across the roof of the cage. Looking down at the people below, the lion wanders around as if deciding who it would like to make its prey before staring down the lens of the camera. Set tongues wagging! One of the lions notices meat and begins sticking out its tongue in the hope of being fed . A lion stands next to one of the keepers and its large paw is the same size as the lady's head . The people inside can be seen recording the many lions from their phones, while another – with paws the same size as the keeper’s head – holds itself up against the cage and chews on some meat. Later in the video people can be seen pointing out the various felines as a keeper moves her hand along the cage, instigating the lion to follow. Still frames capture a lion standing up against the side of the cage alongside the keeper – its power and size is plain to see. A keeper holds a piece of meat up to the bars of the cage and a lion follows her hand in the hope of receiving it . A number of lions are fed directly through the metal bars, while others receive meat dropped from the back of the cage . The car then begins driving away and the lions can be seen chasing after the people in the hope of receiving more food. A keeper then drops meat from the back of it and the lions begin tailing off one by one with their own little piece of food. The video concludes with one lion picking up a final lump of meat from the floor and being chased by another, angry feline. A lion scales the cage and looks down at the people below as if deciding which one it would like to eat . The people inside can be seen pointing and filming the lion who wanders along the top of the cage above them . Orana Wildlife Park was opened in 1976 and is owned and operated by registered charity, Orana Wildlife Trust. Located on the outskirts of Christchurch, the wildlife park is unique in that the people are caged in order to view the animals, not the other way around.
Video shows the lions scaling the cage to look at the people inside.
Lions jump up on the side of the bars and eats meat through them.
The encounter took place at the Orana Wildlife Park in New Zealand.