Tag: Rhino

Jordan Davidson has guided many safaris in the bush

Lions are known to rest and relax during the middle of the day, and this day was no different for three big, and beautiful young lions. There were two females and a male specifically, and they’re all believed to be around five years old.

Everything seemed to be in place for another typical, fantastic, lion sighting. However, this time would prove to be more fruitful…

A rhino came strolling into the picture, looking for some fresh grass to graze on. Nothing had happened but just the rhino’s sheer size, and the presence of the two species being together, made it all so exciting.

Lions have a strong understanding of their limitations, and even for the three of them together, taking on a large white rhino would be a massive risk. Everyone on the safari could see this too, so, even with all the excitement, there wasn’t really any expectation of something more happening.

That was until the rhino walked right up to where the lions were relaxing! Rhinos don’t have the best eyesight, so it likely couldn’t see anything from far out, but the lions’ smell was suspicious for the rhino, so it kept investigating.

Eventually, the rhino was so close that it made one of the lionesses uncomfortable! She ran off and for good reason, the rhino could see clearly now and already had a defensive stance.

The second lioness had more of an opportunistic eye, as the rhino was chasing her sister away, she went into a pouncing position and waited for her shot. She didn’t have to wait long, as the rhino quickly decided that it would be best to make a U-turn and head the other way.

After launching for the rhino’s rump, it didn’t even take a second for the lioness to realize that she was in over her head. She immediately let go and abandoned ship, all the while, the now very grumpy rhino was turning around to face them.

With both lionesses out of the picture, the only thing that stood in the rhino’s way was the poor male lion! Having a stare down with an animal that is bigger than some family-sized cars can only be daunting, but amazingly the lion’s first instinct wasn’t to run!

No, the lion walked right up to the rhino to meet it head-on! This was unquestionably brave, but considering just how long the rhino’s horn was, it didn’t seem like the greatest of ideas.
Without much surprise, the male lion ended up learning the same lesson as the female just before him, but not before the rhino tried stabbing at it, twice! And only missing marginally both times!

Realizing how lucky he was, the lion bolted away into the bushes, and the rhino took the chance to run the other way, bringing one of the wildest lion and rhino interactions that we’ve seen to an end.

Tervin Mdluli is a long-time safari professional, and on a dry morning, he knew exactly what to do to find the big game for his guests. However, what they were about to see was more than what Tervin could have bargained for.
Tervin explains: “We hadn’t had any rain for a while, but it was still a stunning morning in Greater Kruger. Because it was so dry, I focused on the few waterholes that still had water, and we found some fresh elephant tracks on the way.”

“Lo and behold, the elephants were there when we arrived at the waterhole. Some elephants were still making their way, others were drinking, and some were even inside the waterhole.” It was a stunning sighting, no doubt, but then Tervin noticed something else, between the elephants.
“There was a big rhino bull making his way in the direction of the herd! Male rhinos are known to be territorial, and they also don’t have the best vision, so we kept our distance as usual. But we were excited to see what was going to happen!”

“This was a breeding herd of elephants, and there were no big bulls around. However, as it happened, the rhino was walking right toward the young males at the end of the herd. One of the elephants, maybe in his very early twenties, stood up to the challenge…”

It was a standoff between titans, and the loser would be the first to back down, which didn’t take long for that to happen! It was maybe a few seconds, and the elephant made the “crucial mistake” of stepping back, and that’s when the rhino gained its confidence.

The rhino charged in, nudging its head up and down, while the elephants panicked and moved back. But that wasn’t enough for the rhino, who continued pushing them away. The elephant that initially challenged had now retreated all the way into the bushes, and yet the rhino still wasn’t satisfied!
Eventually, the rhino had completely cleared the road of all the elephants, which was very amusing to watch! There were no massive elephants here, but this rhino was still batting way above its weight class, and it was amazing to see.

However, since the rhino had cleared out all his elephant targets, he decided to turn his attention to the safari vehicle! Everyone was still giggling about the sighting, but those giggles quickly turned into nervous laughter!
Tervin had always prioritized safety, so they had plenty of room to reverse away. A good reminder for all of us who visit the bush to do the same. Once the rhino cooled off, Tervin could finally process what he had just seen, a sighting he will no doubt, remember forever!