A white rhino viewed at a distance provides for a pleasant sighting experience. However, a white rhino hot on one’s tail, charging with might and fury, is an experience one will never forget… especially when one is in an open-back jeep!
White rhino bull spotted in the distance
Riaan explained how they had seen a white rhino bull standing right next to the road, as they went on a drive in search of a leopard.
He and his entourage anticipated driving past the rhino, giving not much thought to the sighting. However, the rhino wasn’t about to let them pass so easily.
As the vehicle neared the rhino, the mammoth animal suddenly charged
Rhino starts to charge vehicle
With the rhino charging towards the vehicle, the driver of the car didn’t hesitate to put his foot on the accelerator. “As you can imagine, the guide stepped on the gas and we were going around corners like madness,” said Riaan.
Driver puts foot on gas
What followed was an Formula 1-speed chase, with the vehicle speeding into the distance, rhino in hot pursuit. The sighting was definitely not for the faint-hearted and everyone held tight as the angry rhino bull pursued with full force and fury.
“The guide decided to head for the bush by making a sharp right turn,” explained Riaan, explaining how the driver had tried to throw the rhino off course.
Rhinos have bad sight, and taking a sharp turn in an unexpected direction was the driver’s way of trying to throw the determined creature off their tracks.
However, this rhino wasn’t about to give up his chase; and continued to bulldoze his way forward. Perhaps the occupants of the vehicle braced for impact. Having a large frontal horn, and mammoth build, a male white rhino bashing into a vehicle can do a lot of damage!
Interestingly, one of the collective nouns for a group of rhinos is a ‘crash’ of rhinos. When one considers the size of these animals, this word comes as no surprise.
Furthermore, a single charging rhino is able to scatter a herd of elephants and lions have been known to break off a hunt simply to avoid crossing paths with a rhino.
The occupants of the vehicle were therefore understandably concerned.
Rhino nears vehicle
In a moment of absolute terror, the rhino came close to making contact with the vehicle. Riaan explained that the guide had informed them that this wasn’t the first time this same bull had charged him and his vehicle. “He said he didn’t know what the story was with this bull,” said Riaan. “It was chaos!”
However, in spite of the edge-of-seat viewing experience, the car did get away and Riaan lived another day to tell the story.
He thanks the expertise of the guide for getting them out of the way to safety. “It could have been much worse!” he said.
Get our Best Sightings as they Come in
It goes to show that sometimes when you go out to look out at wildlife, that same wildlife looks back at you – and at times, the veil between observer and ‘sighting’ is pulled aside for a moment, and unexpected encounters occur.
Rhinos can sprint 30 meters, going from a standstill to 55 km/h in only three seconds! Game viewers are advised not to be fooled into thinking that these large creatures are sluggish or cumbersome.
Travelers are advised never to surprise a rhino, to never mess with a mother and baby rhino, and to never approach a rhino. When a rhino charges, it will do so at full speed!