Lions And Cars On Fire, Oh My! Family Has Scary Safari Park Visit

Lions and young children don’t mix well; car fires and small children don’t mix any better. So, what’s a mother to do when her car suddenly breaks down and catches fire in the lion enclosure in a safari park? That’s exactly the decision Helen Clements faced when she took her kids to Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire, England over the Easter holiday.

According to a CBS News report, Clements had her two kids in the back seat of her car when the engine compartment started giving off steam. As the steam turned to smoke, Clements laid on the horn in an attempt to get the attention of the park’s rangers. Here what the she had to say about the situation:

“Then the flames came out of the car, and were obviously coming into the car. We then thought we had better get out the car, but obviously the rangers were saying get back in the car. It was very difficult to know what to do. Get in the car or get out the car.”

According to a BBC report, the lions were within about 100 yards of the car. Lions normally hunt by sneaking to within 100 feet of prey before putting on a burst of speed, but they can cover 100 yards easily when agitated. To put this in perspective, lions can run 50 mph for short periods of time. It would have taken the African lions about four seconds to reach the mother and her nine and twelve year old children had they been inclined to hurry.

Clements initially decided to get the kids out of the burning car, but safari park rangers motioned for her to stay in the car. One group of rangers then distracted the lions while another group drove over to rescue the family and take them to safety.

It’s been an exciting spring for wildlife parks and zoos in the UK. Earlier this year, a rare Bactrian camel was born in the UK (another was also born in a zoo in Hungary recently).

Despite the scary experience of having her car catch fire in the lion enclosure, Helen Clements says she would do it again:

“I would like to go back and see the lions. It wouldn’t put me off from going back. It was a little bit frightening, and obviously the children were frightened at the time. You can look back on it now and thank goodness we are all safe, but why did it have to be in the lion enclosure, of all places?”

Brave lady. What do you think: If your car caught fire in the lions’ enclosure with your kids in the back seat, would you go back, or would you be looking for a nice bunny farm for next year’s Easter holidays?

[Image via Shutterstock]