During a scene involving Jane attempting to get away from Tarzan,
Miles O'Keeffe found himself face-to-face with
Neal a full grown African lion, who took on the part of the gallant gentleman saving the damsel in distress.
Neal, escaping his holding pen, dived into the fray, apparently more intent on protecting
Bo Derek than attacking
Miles O'Keeffe (it was noted that the two-hundred-pound man wasn't injured by the five-hundred-pound cat). The handler was on the scene almost immediately and stopped the interaction. Although neither human star was injured, rumor had it that
Miles O'Keeffe thereafter made a habit of checking the security of the holding pen whenever other scenes of "violence" toward
Bo Derek were done, citing a deep respect for
Bo Derek's formidable self-appointed bodyguard.