April 17 (UPI) -- A pride of lions in a South African national park took advantage of the peace and quiet of the COVID-19 lockdown by lounging in the middle of the road.

Kruger National Park posted photos to Twitter showing the lions lying in the middle of a road that officials said they would normally avoid due to the presence of tourists.


"This lion pride are usually resident on Kempiana Contractual Park, an area Kruger tourists do not see," the tweet said. "This afternoon they were lying on the tar road just outside of Orpen Rest Camp."

Park spokesman Isaac Phaahla said the photos illustrate how life has changed inside the park amid the coronavirus pandemic, which led to tourists being barred from entering.

"Lying on the road during the daytime is unusual because under normal circumstances there would be traffic and that pushes them into the bush," Phaahla told CNN.

"They just occupy places that they would normally shun when there are tourists," he said. "People should remember that KNP is still a largely wild area and in the absence of humans, wildlife is more active."