A tourist almost had his arms ripped off after being attacked by a lioness.
Shocking footage shows the moment Pieter Nortje reached through the fence to try and pet the powerful animal, while on safari with his wife Ilze in South Africa.
Stretching through the gap in the fence, he can be heard saying: "Come here, lovey, let daddy stroke you."
Advert
The lioness then snaps back at the holidaymaker, locks its jaw around his arm and tries to pull him towards the thin metal fence.
The 55-year-old's wife then screams in the background: "It's biting him, it's biting him!"
After a short struggle, he eventually manages to break free.
According to local news station Netwerk 24, the unfortunate incident happened during a guided tour of the lion enclosure at the luxury Tikwe River Lodge, Free State Province, where Mr Nortje and his wife were reportedly celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary.
Following the attack, he was said to have been taken to Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein, where he was treated for septic shock - a life-threatening condition caused by severe infection.
Advert
Tikwe River Lodge denied responsibility for the attack and said the lion enclosure tours had been running for six years without any such incidents.
A spokesperson for the company said: "There are warning signs everywhere.
"Mr Nortje stuck his hand through the electric fence to touch the lions and was bitten."
A South African game ranger at another park who watched the video and said Mr Nortje was extremely lucky and said he could have been killed if other lions joined in.
They said: "The man was lucky that the lioness was probably not hungry or not used to killing live prey outside the wild."
Advert
Also dicing with death recently, a circus performer was attacked by a lion earlier this month during a routine in Lugansk, Ukraine.
Shocking footage has been released, showing the moment the animal suddenly attacks the trainer in front of a large audience of children and parents.
The crowd screamed in fear as well-known performer Hamada Kouta was overpowered by the irate animal which sank its teeth into his arm and clawed him.
Advert
The video shows the 32-year-old trainer being floored by the big cat which suddenly turned aggressive in the ring. His arm, leg and back were mauled and clawed.
The animal finally retreated from the cage but it left the audience stunned. A mother watching with her two children said: "My heart stopped when the lion pounced at the trainer."
Travelling circuses were recently banned in Ukrainian capital Kiev but Lugansk is currently outside Kiev's rule.
Topics: World News, Animals