The moment the playful lion grabs the tow rope of the safari truck in its jaws and refuses to let go [video]

It’s a crazy moment when a tour guide played tug of war with a playful lion.

Travel guide Jabulani Salinda, 49, led the group through Baobab Ridge Game Lodge, South Africa, November 18.

A colleague informed him that there were lions nearby, so he shifted his truck.

But the jeep got stuck in the ground and had to be towed away with the help of a rope.

In a video viewed more than 13,000 times online, a lion grabs a tow rope before Mr. Salinda can pull it back.

In the end, he pulls steadily while the guests on the truck laugh in the background.

The 49-year-old guide tried to drive away, but the lion dug into his paws before wrapping the rope around a nearby tree to get extra leverage.

In the clip, the lion takes the rope in his mouth and walks to the tree.

He tries to wrap the rope around himself in a desire to win the tug of war, and disappears behind the tree as he begins to shake.

Laughter is heard in the footage as the rope falls, but the lion then stalks it back to pick it up in its mouth.

As the truck begins to move, the lion holds the rope in its mouth and appears to limp slightly as it pulls.

As the truck begins to move, the lion holds the rope in its mouth and seems to limp slightly as it pulls

The determined lion will not give up, to the entertainment of the guests on board and continue to hold the rope before it disappears behind the tree.

The clip ends with a lion walking proudly towards the truck with a rope in his mouth without indulging in pulling the rope.

The guide said he eventually relented when a group of females came by and decided to go hunting with them instead of playing.

The tug of war between Mr. Salinda and the lion happened about five minutes before the lion noticed the lions and decided to go hunting with them.

Mr Salinda of Dumfries, South Africa, said: “It was funny to me because I didn’t just think of it as a lion playing with a rope, it was like a big cat playing with a toy.

“All of his characteristics at the time were like a pet cat that every family would love to have in their home. He was only interested in playing with the rope.

‘19 I was a tour guide and I’ve never known a lion game like that before. “My guests were a little worried that the lion’s interest in the rope would bring him closer to the jeep, but he didn’t approach it with anger.

‘I don’t think the lion has ever happened before, his attention was completely on the ropes and I calmed them down and we were all able to enjoy the moment.

He was surprised by the rope, but he only saw an opportunity to play with something new.

‘While we moved the rope to the front of the vehicle, I tried to move my jeep at a 45-degree angle and see if that helped, which meant I pulled out quickly.

‘Before I could pull the rope back, she caught the lion’s eye. He wandered past and grabbed for the end. He tried to pull the jeep back, but failed. He then tried to wrap it around the trees to get a stronger tension. ‘

Mr Salinda (pictured) said the meeting seemed ridiculous to him, as he saw him as a big cat playing with a toy