This footage, sent in to Latest Sightings by Naledi Lodge, shows how large and powerful animals like the black rhinoceros can easily dominate smaller predators, like wild dogs.
The encounter, filmed in the Greater Kruger National Park, saw the smaller dogs standing up to the enormous rhino until it started charging at them, and they had no choice but to scatter.
Watch Now:
It’s not clear in the footage which side started the conflict, but the rhino was going to end it. Wild dogs might be one of the most successful predators on the planet, but against the might of this beast, there was no chance that they would prevail.
Immense Power
When compared to the small size of the wild dogs, the stature of the rhino made it clear which side would emerge victorious when conflict began. Although the wild dogs had the advantage in numbers, there wasn’t enough to win a battle.
Being a member of the top ten largest land animals, the black rhinoceros could rely on its size and strength to protect itself from most threats, and the dogs appeared to be completely powerless before it.
From the moment it emerged ominously from the bush, the rhino took full control of the encounter, and the wild dogs seemed to spend most of their time getting out of its way as it charged.
Dogs In Disarray
Despite the size and strength of the rhino, the dogs were undeniably more nimble. Their smaller size, combined with their natural agility, allowed them to dart and weave away from the rhino’s deadly horn and take cover in the bush.
The rhino wasn’t going to let them get away so easily, however, and it pursued them around the banks of a waterhole, scattering them still further as they tried to stay out of the reach of its horn.
Unlikely Prey
African wild dogs are one of the most successful hunters on land, having a higher percentage of successful hunts than competing predators such as hyenas and lions.
Their pack tactics allow them to bring down animals many times their size, but rhinos are just too strong for them. It’s rare for wild dogs to prey on rhinos, except in circumstances when a calf is left vulnerable.
Whether or not the dogs were actually trying to hunt the rhino is unknown; they may have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. There is a lot of water at the footage, which would suggest a waterhole, and the rhino has been swimming.
Many predators use a waterhole as a site for an easy ambush, meaning this rhino might have been enjoying a nice drink before the dogs made it feel unsafe, and it felt it had to take action.
Get our Best Sightings as they Come in
Untouchable
Ultimately, this outcome was unavoidable. The dogs have some impressive weapons in a fight, but the rhino’s size, strength, and tough skin make for an impossible opponent.
While smaller predators like these dogs pose no real threat to black rhinos, they are still considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, mainly due to habitat loss and poaching by humans.