Lion pushing: Act on those who break park rules

One of the biggest attractions of getting away to the bush is that you can put the hustle and bustle of the city behind you.

That is why it is almost beyond belief that a Gauteng driver nudged a lion out of his way in the Kruger National Park because he was in a hurry to get to his destination.

Watch: Driver bumps lioness in Kruger National Park

Unfortunately for him, there are plenty of tourists with video-enabled devices at sightings in the park these days – and now SA National Parks (SANParks) is after him.

The bottom line: In Kruger and in any wildlife reserve, the game has right of way. No argument.

Humans, though we may have set up these reserves, are guests in the kingdom of the wild. And, as guests, we should act responsibly and with respect.

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Ironically, around the same time as the lion incident was reported, there were pictures on social media of people – allegedly foreign tourists – getting out of their cars on a bridge in Kruger.

In that case, if they end up as a bar snack for a leopard, we would have to remind ourselves that karma is not margarine. People who break the rules in our parks must be banned for life.