New Mini Causes A Stir

Published Date: 26th Jun 2005

Knowsley Safari Park's lions are taking a particular interest in the adventurous New Mini. The park's lion keepers have noticed that while the big cats tend to ignore most of the visiting vehicles the nippy little New Mini is causing quite a stir.

It seems that the bright colours and unique design of the car ignites their desire for the hunt.

"Any car with special peculiarities noise or design will attract them," park general manager David Ross explained to The Guardian. "They have taken a shine to many over the years. They see a car that looks a bit odd and say 'let's go and check it out'. So they wander over. A driver sees them coming and his reaction is to put its foot down. Then the lions say, 'Oh good - the chase is on'."

According to Mr Ross the size of the New Mini seems to spark the interest of the lions.

"We had an incident of two ladies in a car being chased by lionesses. It must have been quite frightening for them, but we always have staff in a vehicle by the lion enclosure to deal with any problems," he concluded.

Drivers of other distinctive small cars such as the cheap new Ford Fiesta, cheap new Citroen C2 and cheap new Vauxhall Corsa could all get a little more that they bargained for on their next trip to the zoo.