Coronavirus Lockdown: Lions Take Nap On Street In Broad Daylight

While humans are locked inside their homes under the looming threat of the coronavirus, lions at South Africa's Kruger National Park were seen making the most of this time by napping on an otherwise busy road.

Richard Sowry, a ranger in the national park, one of Africa’s largest game reserves, snapped a pride of lions napping on the road. Those photos were then shared on Kruger National Park's Twitter handle.

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

The national park said that the lions are residents of Kempiana Contractual Park, an area the tourists don’t see. “This afternoon they were lying on the tar road just outside of Orpen Rest Camp,” they added.

The sight was pretty unusual, in part because big cats are only spotted on the roads by rangers during the night. Sowry, who was carrying out his essential service, involving checking on the wildlife and guarding against the poachers, pulled up just five meters away and took photos with his mobile phone, much to the nonchalance of the lions, BBC reported.

"Lions are used to people in vehicles," Sowry said. "All animals have much more of an instinctive fear of people on foot, so if I had walked up they would never have allowed me to get so close." The lions throng roads during the wintry nights as the tar absorbs a lot of heat.

Sowry was happy that his little effort could help people, who could not visit the national park in the wake of the viral pandemic, catch a glimpse of the wildlife. "These are difficult times for everyone and the intention was to bring people joy," he said.

Founded in the year 1898, Kruger National Park has evolved into a popular safari destination over the years. It accommodates an array of wildlife, including buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion, and rhino in its expanse of almost 2 million hectors.

To date, as many as 2,605 coronavirus cases have been reported in South Africa, with 48 total deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The coronavirus lockdown in the country was imposed on March 25 and all other wildlife parks were closed after that.