This Japanese Zoo Did A "Lion Escape" Drill And The Internet Is Roaring With Laughter
At Tobe Zoo in Japan, a routine safety drill turned into an internet favorite for all the wrong, and funniest, reasons. Staff staged a lion escape scenario to test how they would respond if one of the big cats ever got loose, and they did it without putting anyone in real danger.
Since the real animals could not be used, the zoo dressed up a human stand-in as a lion and ran the drill anyway. The result was equal parts practical and ridiculous, and once the photos and video surfaced, people online could not stop laughing at the commitment.
The whole thing is absurd in the best possible way, and the reactions only made it better.
During the drill, a human dressed in a particularly cute lion costume prowled the park.

As the imposter lion roamed, zoo attendees looked on.

The ultimate scene, however, took place in front of the actual lion exhibit while the lions watched the drill unfold.

Zoo employees pretended to use tranquilizers and practiced netting the downed lion, something we're sure they hope they never have to do in real life.

Despite all of the happenings, what really caught everyone's attention that day was the reaction of the lions watching the entire drill unfold. Their faces? Priceless.

And of course, because pictures are simply not enough to emphasize how funny this was... here's a video of the drill in action:
Twitter has utterly erupted in laughter.
Twitter has utterly erupted in laughter.
Twitter has utterly erupted in laughter.
The responses came flooding in heavily.

It’s giving the “lion wakes lioness with a bite” moment, where the chomp was instant regret.
Lion Wakes Lioness With A Bite And Instantly Regrets ItThe best part, of course, was that they taught the lions what would happen if they should escape. Wait, that may actually be the worst part...

It only makes sense that people zeroed in on the lions' reactions.

Many people inserted words into the lions' mouths because that's what we do on the Internet.

They said sarcastically.

If ever there were a purr-fect gif response, this Twitter user nailed it.


Oops! Escaped animals are a real thing.

"How dare they?"

A real conundrum of humor.

If only the lions had popcorn with their entertainment.

Take notes, lions.

Lions and their sense of superiority.

Yes, yes, they are.

Wait until you see how the lions’ “mating on a safari jeep” turned tourists into laughing fans. Lions Mating On Safari Jeep Leaves Tourists Laughing