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Maasai Mara, Africa – A wildlife documentary producer filming a piece on the domestic-like behaviors of big cats got a startling, personal confirmation of his thesis in the middle of the night. While camped out near a pride of lions, the producer was woken up by the alpha lion itself, which had crept into his sleeping quarters and licked him across the face.

The producer had been embedded in the remote African bush for months, dedicated to capturing footage that compared the actions of massive predators to those of common house cats. He was resting in his tent when the massive alpha male of the pride he was observing silently entered the camp.

Caught on Camera

The sudden, sandpaper-rough lick across his face caused the man to bolt upright in shock. The lion, startled by the producer’s sudden movement, immediately bolted into the darkness.

Luckily for the producer, and for the documentary, the entire encounter was captured. The man had set up safety camera rigs around his camp to film any unexpected interactions, and every second of the bizarre, close-range meeting was recorded. The footage is now considered invaluable evidence of the curious and sometimes playful nature of the big cats.

When later asked about the terrifying yet comical experience, the producer managed to laugh off the shock. “I guess we at least know now,” he quipped, “big cats really are just like little cats. They wake us up at 3 a.m. too.”

The incident offers an intimate and unforgettable moment of contact that underscores the film’s core theme: that even the most formidable creatures in the wild share surprising behavioral commonalities with our domesticated pets.