It's not uncommon for three-year-old children to partake in lengthy staring contests, where one party ends victorious and in desperate need of rewetting drops.

But Sofia Walker, 3, was playing with someone much larger than herself when she came face to face in a stare down with a male lion enclosed in glass at the Wellington Zoo in New Zealand.

Captured on Video, Walker is seen staring down an African male lion named Malik when the lion, clearly aggravated, attempted to take a few swipes at the three-year-old from behind the glass.

I was brave, Walker told The Telegraph of her experience with the beast.

Walker is seen unphased on the other side of the enclosure while the lion bats and scratches the glass.

What's he telling me? Walker asks in the video as the lion attempts to attack.

He walked up to the glass and this is the surprise reaction, said her father, Julian Walker, of the incident. This went on for five minutes and I'm very proud of my daughter.

According to Wellington Zoo manager Paul Horton, the eight-year-old lion is frequently in a bad mood.

Probably the second time I'd seen him engaging with the visitors through the glass, but sometimes when we are working with him he can get a little bit stroppy, Horton told The Telegraph.

Sofia's father, Julian Walker, said the little girl's mother was very nervous for her daughter's safety, though the glass was bonded with resin and posed no threat.

I was surprised that my wife still held the camera steady rather than, you know, obviously lunging to get Sofia, but I think we knew that she was quite safe, Julian Walker said.

Thankfully, Malik's food was nearby in the enclosure, just in case little Sofia Walker looked appetizing.

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