“Out of Diesel”: Man Surrounded by Lions in Stalled Safari Vehicle in Viral TikTok Video

• A man named Mufasa shared a TikTok video showing the safari vehicle running out of diesel in front of a pride of lions
• The owner of a lion sanctuary told Briefly News that interactions with wild animals are exploitation at its worst
• The video had many social media users laughing and cracking jokes in the post's comment section

While on safari, a man found himself in a tricky situation when the vehicle he was in suddenly stopped. To make matters worse, the vehicle stalled while lions surrounded him and other passengers.

Using the name Mufasa, which may come across as a coincidence, on his TikTok account, the man was capturing the moment with the lions in the background at an unknown location when another man, possibly the driver, commented:

"We're out of diesel, guys."

While it is not known if the driver was serious or pulling the tourists' legs in the video Mufasa posted on 10 July, the man off-camera said to the group:

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"We're going to walk outside, and we'll do it the right way, the English way. Ladies walk out first."

Staying away from lions

Briefly News previously asked Paul Hart, the owner of Drakenstein Lion Park, South Africa’s longest operating true sanctuary, how people can protect themselves should they experience a lion attack.

He instead told the publication:

"Interactions with wild animals are wrong on so many levels. It is exploitation at its worst."

He noted that there is no conservation value in captive breeding, and added:

"These captive bred lions, once they have served their purpose in first the cub petting and then lion walking operations, invariably end up either in canned hunts or being killed for the lion bone trade."

Paul further noted that if people put themselves in situations where they run the risk of being attacked by a lion, their decision-making should be brought into question.

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Stalled safari vehicle humours internet

The video garnered millions of views from social media users who entered the comment section with laughter. While such a reaction might not match the scary situation the man and other tourists found themselves in, people were more amused by Mufasa's facial expression at the news.

@joshieleroux jokingly told the man:

"Bro, you only need to be faster than one person. You don’t need to be faster than the lion."

@4siehatesy0u laughed at the video and said:

"You can see the fear in this man’s eyes."

@dorothypuseletso wrote in the comment section:

"It's the shock, the realisation, and the fear all at once for me."

@zouh_444 said to people on the internet:

"This is why I’ll never in my right mind go to national parks."

@junior.sebotje shared with the online community:

"This video somehow reminds me of the Mad Buddies movie."

A concerned @layniie_ asked the man:

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"It was a prank, right?"

An amused @anyamizi added with a laugh:

"If I were a tour guide, I’d prank people like this every day."

Take a look at the hair-raising TikTok video below:

Unfazed by his close call, Mufasa posted another TikTok video on 11 June showing him riding a horse at the same bush location. He joked, “Diesel or no diesel, Mufasa returns,” referencing the earlier safari mishap. Viewers in the comments were thrilled, relieved to see him safe after the scary encounter with the white lions. Others praised his adventurous spirit.

See the TikTok clip below:

3 Other stories about safaris

• In another article, Briefly News reported that a group of wildlife tourists were ambushed by lions during their safari ride. The big cats hopped onto the vehicle's bonnet and roof as the people inside watched.
• A TikTok video captured the moment when a cheetah took the opportunity to stalk potential prey. The animal climbed onto the vehicle where one of the tourists stood and seemingly lunged at them.
• A woman's safari trip became a viral moment when a mischievous elephant grabbed her hat with its trunk. The woman knelt down in front of the elephant and humbly begged for its return.

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Hilary Sekgota, Human Interest HOD at Briefly News, contributed to this article.

Source: Briefly News