The Only Zoo Where the Humans Are Kept Behind Bars

Tourists locked in cage for close encounter with lions.

It is closer than most people would dream of getting to a pack of hungry lions. But this mobile enclosure allows visitors at Orana Wildlife Park, in Christchurch, New Zealand, to come eye-to-eye with the big cats…

Lions jump up the sides and onto the top of the moving mesh enclosure allowing people to get as close as is safe to the fearsome animals. Keepers feed the lions from within the cage, giving visitors the chance to watch them feed in their habitat.

Park spokesman, Nathan Hawke, said: ‘The Lion Encounter is a genuinely unique visitor experience.

‘While people can see lions in numerous places, we think we can get you as close as you would safely want to get to view these magnificent animals. ‘It is an interesting way to display lions and also enables us to discuss ways in which visitors can help the King of the Beasts.’