JJHACK
New member
White rhino are no bargan in the safety issue. We all accept that the black Rhino is a bugger with a short fuse but I have had my vehicle charged twice by White Rhino, one bull and one cow.
The fisrt time was while out photographing game with clients. We were about 75 yards from the cow and a calf. A bull also showed up and was sniffing and chasing her just a bit. She would spin around and blow loudly at him. He never gave up being the good ole boy and kept trying to convince her it was party time. She was losing her patience with him and finally she charged him and really head butted him loud enough to hear the horns bang together. He backed off and she trotted towards us with her calf in tow. Then out of nowhere she dropped her head and aimed right for the truck at about 40-50 yards out. I hit the fuel and we were able with just enough notice to pull out of range of her charge
I was stunned by this as I had been very close to Rhinos many times, even on foot, and within only feet of them while hidden in ground blinds near water. I never saw that kind of reaction, or agression before. That big bull must have really been wearing on her nerves?
Next incident was while driving down a road in the evening near near dark to the lodge. I heard a massive crashing in the bush and slowed to see what was going on. In my mind I knew it had to be a rhino but wanted my two hunters and the one guys wife to see the rhino. As I slowed I saw him angling towards the road in front of me.
This particular road splits one goes north the other south but they run parallel to one another for about 100 yards with some trees and brush between them. While I was on the road that eventually turns south the rhino Bull gets into the other road running at the same speed right next to the truckI would guess he was 30 feet from the passanger side door of my truck running parallel. As I pull away slightly the bull cuts through the bushy section and is now on the same road but 40-50 yards behind me and then he stops.
I decide to stop also so they can get some pictures, when I hear one of the guys yell out he's coming for us. I turn my head trying not to laugh and in the mirror I see a bull rhino's head getting bigger. I let off the clutch and try to accelerate away but was still in 3rd gear. I never went back down to first as we had actually just stopped. The engine is chugging and the truck is bucking and as I try to untangle my feet and legs to press the clutch back down that bull is about 20 yards from the truck and closing fast. I mange to get that truck moving when the rhino was,... by my passangers estimate one second from impact. The Poor lady slid right off the seat and hit the floor in the bed of the pickup. I still remember her telling her husband that she was going to be badly bruised from that rhino but would not be able to show anyone the proof of the charge!
There was one other incident I recall but did not witness. In kruger park there is a warning that automatic fan switches for the radiator would trigger a Rhino charge. So if you have a car that has one of these switches you should not stop to photograph white Rhino. Just drive past to a safe distance and photograph them, or shut your engine off(yeah right, not this guy)
They have had several white rhino smash a number of cars. All the drivers questioned said about the same thing. When the cooling fan clicked on the rhino charged smashing the grill and or front fenders. I saw a photo of a mercedes benz with a badly smashed front end in the Punda Maria camp store. It was done by one of these Rhino. The car was not driveable.
Don't underestimate anything that weights 6000 pounds with a horn and can become angry!
The fisrt time was while out photographing game with clients. We were about 75 yards from the cow and a calf. A bull also showed up and was sniffing and chasing her just a bit. She would spin around and blow loudly at him. He never gave up being the good ole boy and kept trying to convince her it was party time. She was losing her patience with him and finally she charged him and really head butted him loud enough to hear the horns bang together. He backed off and she trotted towards us with her calf in tow. Then out of nowhere she dropped her head and aimed right for the truck at about 40-50 yards out. I hit the fuel and we were able with just enough notice to pull out of range of her charge
I was stunned by this as I had been very close to Rhinos many times, even on foot, and within only feet of them while hidden in ground blinds near water. I never saw that kind of reaction, or agression before. That big bull must have really been wearing on her nerves?
Next incident was while driving down a road in the evening near near dark to the lodge. I heard a massive crashing in the bush and slowed to see what was going on. In my mind I knew it had to be a rhino but wanted my two hunters and the one guys wife to see the rhino. As I slowed I saw him angling towards the road in front of me.
This particular road splits one goes north the other south but they run parallel to one another for about 100 yards with some trees and brush between them. While I was on the road that eventually turns south the rhino Bull gets into the other road running at the same speed right next to the truckI would guess he was 30 feet from the passanger side door of my truck running parallel. As I pull away slightly the bull cuts through the bushy section and is now on the same road but 40-50 yards behind me and then he stops.
I decide to stop also so they can get some pictures, when I hear one of the guys yell out he's coming for us. I turn my head trying not to laugh and in the mirror I see a bull rhino's head getting bigger. I let off the clutch and try to accelerate away but was still in 3rd gear. I never went back down to first as we had actually just stopped. The engine is chugging and the truck is bucking and as I try to untangle my feet and legs to press the clutch back down that bull is about 20 yards from the truck and closing fast. I mange to get that truck moving when the rhino was,... by my passangers estimate one second from impact. The Poor lady slid right off the seat and hit the floor in the bed of the pickup. I still remember her telling her husband that she was going to be badly bruised from that rhino but would not be able to show anyone the proof of the charge!
There was one other incident I recall but did not witness. In kruger park there is a warning that automatic fan switches for the radiator would trigger a Rhino charge. So if you have a car that has one of these switches you should not stop to photograph white Rhino. Just drive past to a safe distance and photograph them, or shut your engine off(yeah right, not this guy)
They have had several white rhino smash a number of cars. All the drivers questioned said about the same thing. When the cooling fan clicked on the rhino charged smashing the grill and or front fenders. I saw a photo of a mercedes benz with a badly smashed front end in the Punda Maria camp store. It was done by one of these Rhino. The car was not driveable.
Don't underestimate anything that weights 6000 pounds with a horn and can become angry!
