“It’s AI”: Gent’s Reaction to Finding a Lion in His Home Gets SA Talking and Laughing

• A video showed a man sitting in his lapa on his phone, completely unaware that a lion walked in behind him
• The lion came in calmly and then walked away before the man even fully realised what had just happened
• People flooded the comments with a fair amount of debate about whether the video was real or AI-generated

A video doing the rounds on social media had South Africans equal parts terrified and in stitches on 25 March 2026. The clip was shared on @nuusflitsnuus, asking people how they would react if they were in the same situation. The footage was originally shared by Radio 33 and looked like it was recorded on a security camera somewhere in a lapa. A man was sitting on a couch, completely in his own world, scrolling through his phone. He had no idea that a lion moved in through the doorway, took its time looking around the space, and then noticed the man. It walked closer, stood there for a few seconds just staring at him, and then turned around and headed back out. It was only as the lion was on its way out that the man sensed something behind him. He turned around just in time to catch it walking away.

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According to experts at Oreteti Safari, lions are not naturally interested in humans as food. They mostly go after big animals like wildebeest, zebra, and antelope, and in most situations, they would rather keep their distance from people than approach them. A lion is more likely to see a human as something to be cautious around than something to chase.

Not everyone was convinced the video was real, though. Several commenters pointed out that the lion did not appear to cast a shadow when it walked through the doorway.

Watch the Facebook clip below:

SA reacts to man's lion encounter

Social media users had a field day in the comments section of the Facebook page @nuusflitsnuus' clip:

@Velma Webster said:

"Social media saved this man's life. Sjoe!"

@Raymond Grieger pointed out:

"It's AI. The lion has no shadow when entering the room."

@Thersegan Reddy joked:

"The lion saw the guy watching Chuck Norris videos and had second thoughts."

@Jackie Loftie-Eaton said:

"The lion turned to find a knife and fork. He has table manners."

@Maryke Obbes-Bothma wrote:

"The lion saw he was watching Kurt Darren's new video and decided to leave."

@Mariska Neethling said:

"That lion is too perfect. My bet is on AI since no location is confirmed."

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@Gert Visagie noted:

"The lion has a shadow, but the clock is not running."

@Fernando Charles Consul said:

"I never sit with my back to the door."

More SA animal encounters

• Briefly News recently reported on an adult male who was bitten by a black mamba in a Pretoria park.
• A Mpumalanga woman spotted a lion crossing the road right in front of her car on the morning school run.
• A dramatic rescue of a puppy trapped in a stormwater drain in Newcastle brought together the local SPCA, fire department and protection services.

Source: Briefly News