Thank God for reinforced glass ... because it saved one little boy from becoming a hungry tiger's lunch.
Check out the insane video ... the boy and his father were visiting The Dublin Zoo and stopped for a quick photo-op with the big cat. You can see the tiger slowly start to creep -- then stop when the boy turns around -- and lunge into a full sprint when the boy looks away again.
The tiger is stopped by the glass before it can get to the boy, desperately pawing for a piece, before finally giving up and searching for its next meal.
Lucky for dad, his son's got nerves of steel, and plays the whole thing off pretty well.