Size really doesn’t matter, not even if you face off with two mighty lions. A video of a tiny turtle interrupting a lion and lioness from drinking water at the Sand River in the Kruger National park has gathered over one million views since it was uploaded to Latest Sightings.
The rare moment was captured on video by Reggi Barreto during a private safari in the MalaMala Private Game Reserve.
Barreto told Latest Sightings patience is the key to capturing these rare moments.
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“We had heard about a few lions on a young zebra foal catch and my guests and I had decided to follow up in the afternoon to see if they were still visible. There were plenty of elephants and general game along the way as we headed into the area where the lions were,” he said in an interview.
Watching the terrapin approach the lions
“I knew the lions would look for water to drink and we positioned ourselves in the perfect spot with the sunlight in our favour, ready for the sighting. What came next we did not expect – I was pleasantly surprised when the terrapin came out of the wallow towards the male and then the lioness.”
The tiny terrapin didn’t cause too much of a stir for the big cats who still drank their fill despite the ongoing disruptions. When they’d had enough water, they headed back to the area near their prey to lay down for a snooze.
“It was an incredibly rare sighting for me to film – watching the terrapin approach the lions that had blood on their chins from the zebra. It seems as though the terrapin was actually more interested in getting some of that blood off the lions’ chins, as opposed to ‘chasing the lions away’,” he said.
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