Rhinoceroses are archetypal African animals, and they are renowned for their size and aggression. Generally, they are indifferent to other creatures around them, but when you invade their personal space, you’d better watch out! Few animals are deadlier than an angry rhino. In fact, rhinos have been known to flip smaller animals, such as warthogs, into the sky! But what happens when one of these two ton mammals becomes angry at a car?
In this incident in Namibia’s Etosha National Park, a rhinoceros (most likely a black rhino) spots an SUV full of tourists and charges. Black rhinos are the most aggressive of the rhino species and have been known to charge at trees and termite mounds. In fact, black rhinos have the highest rates of mortal combat recorded for any mammal. About 50% of males and 30% of females die from combat-related injuries. So, with that in mind, these tourists got off pretty easy!
Watch the full video with sound below to hear the hushed reactions of the tourists in another nearby car.
There’s a good reason why rhinos are often portrayed as angry, combative creatures, and this moment exemplifies that.
Here’s a couple more videos below that further illustrate the aggressive nature of rhinos when threatened by vehicles in their territory.
Have a look at a couple old commercials where rhinos attack and/or chase after cars. This first one advertises Hostess Cup Cakes:
And this second one advertises the Toyota Tacoma:
