KRUGER NATIONAL PARK — Why did the lion cross the road? It didn’t – it laid down in the middle of it just because it could.
With nary a tourist or safari vehicle in sight due to ongoing travel restrictions in response to COVID-19, a pride of lions in Kruger National Park, South Africa was spotted taking a snooze on a road far from where it usually resides.
Kruger visitors that tourists do not normally see. #SALockdown This lion pride are usually resident on Kempiana Contractual Park, an area Kruger tourists do not see. This afternoon they were lying on the tar road just outside of Orpen Rest Camp.
????Section Ranger Richard Sowry pic.twitter.com/jFUBAWvmsA— Kruger National Park (@SANParksKNP) April 15, 2020
According to park officials, the lions usually reside on Kempiana Contractual Park, an area in Kruger that tourists usually do not see. However, with park activity down to a minimum, the animals took it upon themselves to venture just outside of Orpen Rest Camp, an area often frequented by tourists.
And, like any of us after a long walk, they got tired and parked their sleepy behinds right on the road for a much-deserved nap.
Kruger National Park is considered one of Africa’s largest game reserves and is home to a high density of wild animals, including the Big 5: lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalos.
The road-side nap comes on the heels of other wild animal sightings during lockdown measures around the world. Earlier this month, whales were spotted swimming freely off Vancouver’s coast while mountain goats were seen roaming around a small seaside town in northwest Wales.
