Global wildlife enthusiasts were on Tuesday fascinated by a video clip of three lions that successfully crossed a flooded river within the Masai Mara National Park.
A tour guide operating in Kenya known as Richard Generally shared the clip on Instagram showing how the big cats braved the waters to the other banks.
"3 Sankai boys crossing the flooded Rongai river this morning," Generally captioned the clip.
The seconds-long clip showed the first two lions getting into the waters and moving along while keeping their heads up.
Below is the video:
After a few minutes, the first lion emerged from the river exhibiting a calm demeanour appearing not to have been fazed by the challenging swim.
USA Today, a leading US publication, covered the story shortly after the video was uploaded which made it go viral.
The clip was also reshared widely including by an X handle known as Lion Lovers which included a call to action, 'Be quick guys, watch out for the crocodiles.'
Through this account only, the clip garnered over 6,000 views attracting hundreds of likes and comments.
"Not the best time to be crossing but lions got to do what lions got to do," joked Janai Burnett.
"Incredible footage. I love the way the first one looks back for the others ‘almost like, what happened to my other lads’," observed Ole Lankas.
According to the US World Animal Protection organisation, lions can swim well but do not like doing that generally.
"Their physiology does not lend itself well to swimming, and lions will only swim if they need to cross rivers or streams during a hunt with their pride," the organisation explained.
Lions can reportedly swim at a speed of 74km/h but in short bursts.
