Lioness takes amazing selfie with GoPro
A lioness has given wildlife fans an amazing close-up after chomping on a GoPro camera. WATCH THE VIDEO
READING LEVEL: GREEN
A lioness has treated wildlife fans to an amazing selfie after biting down on a GoPro camera in South Africa.
The footage captures the inside of the lioness’ mouth, including when she licks the camera, which was planted by the side of a dirt track in Balule Nature Reserve by photographer Frank de Beer.
WATCH THE VIDEO
“I tried to anticipate* the movements of the lions and got really lucky with a curious female,” Mr de Beer told Caters News Agency.
“It was planned, but the animals still had the choice to avoid the camera or just walk around it.”
Luckily, the inquisitive* lioness decided to check out the camera as Mr de Beer watched from a safe distance.
The resulting two minutes of footage begins with the lioness approaching and then mouthing* the GoPro.
After several exploratory* nips, the big cat lifts the camera and carries it around in her jaws, capturing her sharp teeth and tongue in extraordinary detail.
The camera survived the close encounter on February 7 thanks to its protective case and was retrieved by Mr de Beer after it was dropped by the lioness.
This isn’t the first time the wildlife enthusiast* has taken an “inside” look at wild animals using a cleverly planted camera.
He pulled off the same trick with elephants in South Africa in 2017, capturing one of the pachyderms* inspecting the GoPro with its trunk, Caters reported.
In perhaps the most famous wildlife selfie incident to date, a monkey named Naruto used a photographer’s camera to accidentally snap a series of self-portraits, which went viral on social media and were included in a book.
The monkey took the selfies after photographer David Slater left his camera unattended while visiting a reserve in Indonesia in 2011.
In a published book featuring images of Naruto, Mr Slater admitted the monkey snapped the selfies.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) then filed a lawsuit in 2015, seeking to represent the monkey and manage money gained from the images to help the animal and its community.
But a judge eventually ruled the monkey couldn’t be declared the rightful owner of the photos, meaning that any money earned from them belonged to Mr Slater.
GLOSSARY
- anticipate: expect or predict
- inquisitive: curious, interested in learning things
- mouthing: take in or touch with the mouth
- exploratory: to do something with the intention to explore or learn more
- enthusiast: someone who has an interest in a particular thing or subject
- pachyderms: very large mammals with thick skin, especially elephants, rhinos and hippos
EXTRA READING
Parrot steals high-flying getaway with stolen GoPro
Volcano cam captures lava flow
Modern-day message in a bottle
QUICK QUIZ
- What is the name of the photographer who planted the GoPro?
- What date was the close encounter filmed?
- What other wild animal has the photographer filmed in a similar way?
- What is the name of the monkey that took a selfie in 2011?
- What did PETA hope to do with money gained from using the monkey’s images?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Think like a lioness
Don’t you wonder what the lioness was thinking as she found the camera and carried it around? What did she think it was? What made her drop it?
Write from the point of view of the lioness, what she might have been thinking during this encounter.
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English
2. Extension
What else might the camera have captured had the lioness continued to carry it around or if it had been left for other animals to find? Draw three “snapshots” of things the GoPro might have seen.
Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Visual Arts
VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.
Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.
Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?
Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.