A  tourist almost had his arm ripped off by a lioness while trying to pet it in South Africa, Daily Mail reported.

55-year-old Pieter Nortje was being given a guided tour of the lions at a game lodge to celebrate his 10th wedding anniversary. The man can be seen stroking an adult male's back and tickling it behind his ear as he quips to his wife: 'If you bite me, then I'm going to bite you back.' 

Then a young lioness approaches the fence at the Tikwe River Lodge as Pieter leaves his arm waving dangerously in the air and says: 'Come here lovey, let daddy stroke you.'

The lioness then digs her teeth into his right forearm, penetrating to the bone, and drags him towards the fence. His wife can be heard shouting: 'It's biting him, it's biting him!'

Nortje ended up in Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein in a serious condition and suffering septic shock.