As the apex predators of their environment, lions demand a certain level of respect from the other animals they encounter. As big cats they are big and strong, and on top of that they have a pride to back them up if a fight is too big for one alone.
But lions aren’t the only animals that demand respect, and although this huge rhino appeared to be alone, it had size and strength of its own to make sure the lions didn’t test its resolve.
Hancho Olivier spotted this rhino in the Greater Kruger area, with its sole purpose of disrupting the lion’s attempts at relaxation and proving that the big cats aren’t always the ones in control.
Very Movable Objects
Lions would like everyone to believe that they are the supreme danger in the area, and that as apex predators they have no fear. This image crumbled immediately in the face of this implacable rhino.
It didn’t need to rush, and it didn’t even need to act threateningly towards the pride in anyway, as its slow and dogged steps made it clear that it wasn’t worth trying to fight.
Although the lions might have waited until the very last minute to move, they had no choice but to get out of the way sharpish when it became clear that the rhino wasn’t going to make any allowance for their presence.
An Unstoppable Force
Nothing these lions could do was going to stop this rhino from plowing straight through their pride. Its pace was measured, consistent and unstoppable as it made its way towards the deadly predators.
At least one of the lions was laying directly in its path and although the rhino slowed momentarily, it continued moving and forced the big cat to get out of the way quickly to avoid being stepped on.
Playing It Cool
This rhino might have appeared to be completely unbothered by the presence of the apex predators, but it’s also entirely possible that it didn’t even realize the lions were there until it was too late.
For all their size and strength, rhinos have notoriously bad eyesight which often and hilariously leads to them charging at things like trees, large rocks, and less amusingly at tourist vehicles, because they think all of these things are dangerous threats.
In this case, the rhino might have thought the lions were something else, or it might not have seen them at all until it was too late and then it had no choice but to continue through them trying to play it cool.
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A Determined Nuisance
It’s unclear if this was a territorial display from this rhino, but it seems likely, as it turned out this animal wasn’t just passing through and disturbing these lions by chance, but instead was making a point.
Once it had scattered the lions by trying to walk over them, the rhino finally stopped and simply stood without moving in their midst. The lions could hardly believe it, but none of them attacked.
The most likely explanation was that the rhino either didn’t know they were there and wasn’t sure what to do once it realized, or that it knew the big cats were there and it wanted them gone. Either way, the rhino definitely came out on top in this one.