This is the moment a lion decided he was unwilling to take care of business in front of the prying eyes of a safari group – and went to the bathroom.
The predator was spotted at a rest stop in the Kgalagadi National Park in South Africa, where a group of tourists had pulled up for a picnic.
Seemingly needing some privacy, the male lion walked up to the toilet block, and even managed to find the men’s room.
Ha-poo-na matata: A male lion is spotted walking into the bathroom for some alone time in the Kgalagadi National Park in South Africa
Is this the mane’s room? The large lion was spotted by a safari group who had pulled up at a rest stop to enjoy a picnic
With the tourists at a safe distance, the large male predator walked into the toilet block, and after a quick snoop around inside, he walked off to settle in some nearby shade.
The pictures were taken by financial adviser Hannes Fourie, 63, from Johannesburg, South Africa, during a safari trip in the park.
Mr Fourie had been travelling through Kgalagadi National Park towards a camp near the border with Botswana when his group came across the lion.
‘We had left our camp early in the morning to try and see as much as possible before the sun became too hot and were looking for a place to have a break.
‘At around 11:30am we arrived at the picnic spot to use the bathroom and eat some sandwiches. However, we quickly saw the lions and realised that none of that was going to happen.
The lion who went to the loo: The lion looks around as he lines up outside the men’s room
Circle of life: The safari group were able to photograph the lion heading to the bathroom from the safety of their tour vehicles
Royal flush: The king of the jungle had a look around inside before leaving the toilet
‘A big male and two females were lying under the one picnic table taking advantage of the shade at the picnic spot while another big male and three more females were lying directly behind the toilets.
‘After taking a couple of pictures of the three lying under the table we started to calculate if we could maybe sneak into the toilets which were about 30 meters away from the sleeping big cats.
‘We drove closer and just as we were getting ready to make a bee-line into the toilet the other male, quietly sleeping behind them, came around the corner.
‘No one wanted to use the bathroom anymore!’
All done: After a quick visit to the bathroom, the lion settled in the nearby shade
Mr Fourie continued: ‘He casually walked around the building, had a long stare at the inside of the toilet and then backed out of the entrance and majestically walked pass our vehicle and dumped himself under a big shady tree.
‘We have never been more surprised than this male coming round the back of the toilets and literally almost walking into us.
‘For some reason the lions like the Melkvlei picnic spot but you don’t expect a lion to actually peek into the toilet and then just casually walk past you.
‘It was an extraordinary experience and something I will remember for the rest of my life.’