Watch the sighting here:
Krishna Tummalapalli filmed the bizarre interaction and submitted his version of events to Latest Sightings. He filmed it while staying at Shishangeni Lodge in the Kruger National Park.
Disturbing the peace
Krishna said, “We went to the watering hole and were watching two rhinos drinking water for a bit of time before we spotted two elephants approaching from the distance. We were curious about what was about to happen…”
Protective mom
As one of the elephants approached, the white rhino mother and calf turned to face the new arrivals. Rhinos have notoriously poor eyesight, and with her offspring to protect, she took no chances.
With only slightly better eyesight, the elephant raised its head in alarm as it saw the rhino movement ahead of it.
Both upset
Meanwhile, the mother rhino moved toward the elephant, wanting to shield her calf from its advance. This seems to have agitated the elephant, causing it to spread its ears in warning.
When the rhino didn’t back down, the elephant attacked. Despite weighing around 1.5 tons, the rhino was no match for the elephant; at up to 6 tons.
Charge!
As the elephant charged forward, the squealing youngster sought safety behind its mother.
However, the elephant easily pushed the female causing her to retreat backward into her calf.
Barrell-rolled
Continuing its onslaught, the elephant pushed the mother rhino right over her baby, sending it rolling in the mud.
Somehow, in the aftermath, the calf rose to its feet and quickly escaped the path of the enraged elephant. Its mother, however, was still bearing the full brunt of the elephant’s anger.
Now facing her aggressor, the rhino fell to the ground as the elephant attempted to gore her with its tusks. Growing increasingly desperate, the mother retreated into the water while her stunned calf stood dazed in the dust.
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Temporary ceasefire
Consequently, the rhino nearly lost her footing in the slippery mud, causing the elephant to pause for a moment. The critical seconds that followed gave the rhino just enough time to begin her escape.
Reunited but not yet safe
Seeing the rhino running off, the elephant gave chase. Thankfully, the rhino was quickly able to relocate her baby and, shepherding it ahead of her, the pair ran for their lives.
Luckily for the rhinos, they were faster than the elephant and after about 100 metres, it gave up the chase. The rhinos were taking no chances, however, and were last seen running into the distance.
What provoked this?
It is difficult to say with certainty what caused the elephant to attack. Was it that both it and the rhino are short-sighted, leading to an avoidable escalation?
Although it is not visible in the video, the elephant may have been in musth. When in musth, increased testosterone makes bulls unpredictable and aggressive.
Or perhaps, with water in short supply, the elephant was being possessively dominant.
Whatever the case, the video highlights the massive strength of these animals and the lengths a mother will go to protect her young.