Skip to main content

Unwanted passenger

Tourists in a South African game reserve got something of a fright when a lion tried to hitchhike in their vehicle. The animal grabbed a door handle of the Toyota using its teeth and succeeded in opening a rear door. The driver, unwilling to share his vehicle with a 136kg lioness, hit the accelerator and sped away. The lion pursued until it reached the gates of the enclosure and was finally discouraged from making another attempt to open the door when a warden launched a volley of stones at the animal. Visi
February 22, 2012 Read time: 1 min
Tourists in a South African game reserve got something of a fright when a lion tried to hitchhike in their vehicle. The animal grabbed a door handle of the Toyota using its teeth and succeeded in opening a rear door. The driver, unwilling to share his vehicle with a 136kg lioness, hit the accelerator and sped away. The lion pursued until it reached the gates of the enclosure and was finally discouraged from making another attempt to open the door when a warden launched a volley of stones at the animal. Visitors are now being told to lock their doors on entering the park.

Related Content

  • School run chase
    May 16, 2014
    A man in the UK picked up his children from school, only to become involved in a high speed police pursuit. The man was moving away from the school when officers spotted the car, which was flashed up on their screen as belonging to a known offender who was disqualified from driving.
  • Speed Cycling
    August 10, 2012
    A South African cyclist suffered a serious crash during a race in his country, due to an antelope’s lack of awareness of road rules. The cyclist was knocked off his bicycle by a Red Hartebeest buck, which charged across the dirt road he was riding along. The cyclist saw the animal spring from the side of the road but there was little he could do to stop. The antelope dazedly stood up following the impact and then bounded away, apparently unhurt. However the cyclist was left sprawled in the grass.
  • On track
    May 20, 2015
    A drunk driver in Dortmund, Germany caused commuter consternation when he mistakenly drove his Ford car onto tram tracks at a stretch where they ran along the surface. The line then dipped underground and the driver was unable to turn round, driving on until coming to a halt in an underground station. He stopped at the station and got out of his vehicle, leaving it on the tracks. Two police officers arrested him and bundled him away, leaving the transport officials with the job of moving the car. They had t
  • Komatsu launches next-generation WA475-11 and WA485-11 wheeled loaders with joystick steering controls
    April 10, 2025

    Komatsu Europe has premiered its new next-generation WA475-11 and WA485-11 wheeled loaders, which the manufacturer says represent a leap forward in performance and efficiency.

    At the heart of new Dash 11 generation wheeled loaders is a newly developed Komatsu diesel engine which is characterised by extremely high torque in the low-speed range. This new engine is combined with a Komatsu-designed hydro-mechanical-transmission (HMT), resulting in excellent performance, power reserves, fuel efficiency and ease of operation for all transport and loading tasks.