Lions at a safari park in the north of England are prowling after Smart cars, in the apparent belief that the boxy little two-seat European city cars are worthy prey.
Visitors to Knowsley Safari Park, outside Liverpool, have long been able to drive their vehicles within metres of the big cats — but those in Smart cars have discovered that the lions are paying them particular interest.
“The lions are used to seeing saloons [sedans] and family cars on a daily basis, but they had never seen a Smart before,” park manager David Ross said on Tuesday.
“Because of the cars’ small size and unusual looks, the lions were immediately interested and went to take a closer look.”
“We won’t be excluding Smarts from the park but we will monitor their progress and ensure that the lions don’t take anything more than a passing interest.”
Knowsley Safari Park is home to a variety of exotic animals, including tigers, buffalo, baboons, camels, rhinos, elephants and giraffes.
A spokesperson for Smart, a Mercedes-Benz brand, said the animal attraction is “very unusual”. — AFP