World Rhino Day: rhino wreaks havoc on bakkie during relocation

On Saturday, a rhino, recently relocated to the Northern Cape, caused a stir when it wrote off a bakkie. This incident occurred just before World Rhino Day, celebrated on September 22, which is a global observance dedicated to protecting these majestic creatures from extinction.

And while the huge herbivore and the group of people assigned to its relocation suffered no injuries, the bakkie was not so lucky.

The incident was posted on social media and soon went viral, as the unrelenting and powerful attack by the angry white rhino left many speechless.

In the video, the rhino is seen walking backwards down the ramp to get off the trailer at its new reserve. It first appears as though it will walk away calmly, but then chooses violence. It turns and butts the trailer with its horn.

Not satisfied with this, it then launches into full attack mode on the bakkie, almost tipping it over with each crushing blow with its horn.

Usually docile

All the while, the staff try to remain calm as the rhino charges at the bakkie. A woman can be heard saying "sorry about your bakkie" and a man replies casually, saying "It's okay".

Willie Viljoen, the owner of the wildlife relocation company Willie Viljoen Wildbedryf, who posted the video, told "The Citizen" that white rhinos are more docile than black rhinos, so they were rather surprised by their aggressive behaviour.

"White rhinos are usually docile by nature, but as can be seen in the video, there are rare exceptions to the rule.

“Instances where white rhinos bump into the vehicles are so rare that we don’t even take it into account as being a ‘problem’,” he said.

He said his company, which often relocates rhinos, accepts the risks of working with wild animals.

“Obviously, attacking the stationary vehicle was not normal or predictable behaviour, but that’s nature.”

Horns of a dilemma

World Rhino Day provides the opportunity for organisations, NGOs, zoos, and members of the public to celebrate rhinos in their own unique ways, with this year's theme: "Building a Future for Rhinos".

Rhinos are routinely poached for their horns, driven by the demand for them in Asian countries, particularly China and Vietnam. Rhino horn is used in traditional Chinese medicine, but is increasingly common as a status symbol to display success and wealth.

Recent statistics show South Africa's white rhino population declined from 17 464 to 15 752 due to poaching, drought and management challenges, while its black rhino population of 2 307 has increased due to improved protection measures.

Increased anti-poaching measures, including dehorning programmes and intelligence-led operations in key parks like Kruger National Park, have helped stabilise herd numbers in recent years.

Rhino - both black and white - form the backbone of South Africa's Big Five wildlife tourism drawcards, including lion, leopard, elephant and Cape buffalo.