Girl comes face-to-face with lion at animal preserve in North Carolina

ROCKWELL, North Carolina (KTRK) -- A little girl wasn't just "lion around" when she took a trip to an animal reserve with her family.

Instead, she made a furry new friend, who seemed to be "mane-ly" interested in playing with her.

The friendly feline was spotted at Tiger World in North Carolina.

He saw the little girl through the enclosure that separates the two, and started pawing at the glass wall, even jumping up and down in excitement.

The little girl responded by waving and pounding on the window from her side.

While they were definitely quite different in size, it looks like both of them were thrilled at making a new friend.