This is how you stop an angry rhino's charge.
The iconic rhinoceros is one of the most well-known animals living in South Africa. Along with lions, elephants, hippos, and crocodiles, it's one of the animals that most people hope to see when they go out on safari into the Dark Continent's wild areas.
However, you'd best give these beasts a wide berth. Fully-grown males can weigh upwards of 5,000 pounds and are capable of a great deal of damage if they get agitated enough. That's why they're one of Africa's most dangerous animals.
The tourists in today's video got a great reminder of that when one of these incredible animals starts coming towards their vehicle. From his body language, it's clear he's upset and ready to do some damage. Thankfully, the guide is quick-thinking and manages to stop this attack before it starts.
Rhinos are notorious for having small brains and being highly intolerant of having their space invaded. There are plenty of videos on the Internet showing these animals attacking warthogs, buffalo and other common plains animals that just happened to get too close. There have even been documented sightings of rhinos interacting with the other two big African mammals, elephants and hippos. Most of these encounters turn more into a stare down than a real fight since it really does neither animal any good to injure each other.
It's worth noting that this engine trick doesn't always work. There have been plenty of instances where rhinos have attacked moving vehicles, fortunately that didn't happen here, and the tourists were able to simply enjoy a close counter with one of these famous animals.
Kudos to the cameraperson who kept this shot in focus the entire time. We would be just a little intimidated to see an animal like that bearing down on our vehicle. It doesn't take much for one of these beasts to trample a human to death. That's why you don't want to be on foot when you encounter a rhino!
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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