The jaws of defeat: Lioness tries to devour smiling one-year-old but is stopped by six-inches thick glass

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Open wide: A lioness goes to take a bit out of a toddler visiting the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado but luckily the pair are separated by thick glass


For a moment this hungry lioness must have thought she had found her dinner.

But luckily for the oblivious one-year-old, a thick sheet of glass separated him from the jaws of the ferocious cat.

The toddler, known only as Trent, had been visiting the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado with family earlier this year.


Happy: The toddler, known only as Trent, smiles as claps excitedly as he watches the lioness


He playfully sits on the ground outside the lion enclosure and claps his hands as the powerful beast paces the ground eager to reach the youngster.

Trent then begins to touch the six-inches thick bullet-proof glass and for a moment the pair appear to have struck up a bond.

The lioness appears to be fascinated with the toddler and tenderly strokes her paw against the glass in front of the child.

But seconds later in an incredible show of her natural killer instinct the lioness rears up onto her hind legs and swipes with her sharp claws.


I want to play! The toddler touches the glass, eager to join in, but the powerful cat seems more interested in what her next meal will be


She then opens her jaws to expose razor-sharp teeth and appears to try to bite off the toddler's head.

But with no chance of reaching her prey, Trent carry on regardless. He merely claps his hands and continues to laugh at the hungry cat.

The clip has become an internet sensation on YouTube with tens of thousands of users posting messages.

One wrote: 'The funny thing is, our baby actually cried all the way to the car after leaving the lion cage.'


Safe: The toddler moved away from the glass but the beast followed, trying desperately to reach him. The clip has become an online hit


Another added: 'This shows the immense power of these incredible animals.'
But others suggested that the lioness was merely trying to be playful with the toddler.

One wrote: 'That cat is not trying to eat the baby, her body language is completely non-aggressive.

'If anything she just wants to steal the child so she can raise him and train him to make his thumbs work for the pride.'


Lioness tries to eat baby at the zoo.


source: dailymail