White Rhino Bull Attacks a Mother Rhino and Her Tiny Calf

A tourist in South Africa was watching a peaceful scene in a game reserve: a baby white rhino with its mother. The baby was nursing while the mother stood calmly in the middle of the road. All at once, the peace was broken when a male rhino came charging into view. What happened next? The YouTube video, posted by Mark Melford, shows the entire scene.

A Mother and Baby’s Peaceful Day Was Interrupted

In the video, the mother and baby seem to be minding their own business when a larger male comes rushing up. A sign that this could be a territory dispute occurs when the male marks the road near the mother and baby with its urine. Male rhinos scent-mark their territory. Doing this action right in front of the pair of rhinos shows dominance.

After the male asserts his dominance, he doesn’t back off, but instead, charges at the mother. The little calf appears terrified and for a good reason. The large male attacks the calf, throwing it into the air. As the calf runs off, the mother attacks the bull.

The battle between the bull and the mother continues, with the calf circling frantically around. Finally, the mother breaks free and runs, with the bull in hot pursuit and the baby following behind them both. Fortunately, we learn from reading the description, “A little after this was filmed, both mother and calf were spotted grazing peacefully close to the road.”

Why Would a Bull Rhino Suddenly Attack a Mother and Her Calf?

Male white rhinos vigorously defend their territories, which typically cover about one square mile. However, female rhinos venture far beyond this area and will often pass through the territories of multiple males. According to the video’s description, the game reserve has been successful at growing its rhino population. In a few decades, the population has grown to over 1,500 rhinos. With so many rhinos, territorial skirmishes are bound to occur from time to time.

Other Reasons a Male Might Attack a Female and Her Calf

Aside from territory disputes, male white rhinos are persistent in mating with female rhinos. They may follow her for days, preventing her from entering another male’s territory by physically blocking her or scent-marking her. According to the Pondoro Game Lodge in South Africa, “Cows can move freely in and out of the bull territories, but when a cow is in heat, a territorial bull will try to keep her inside his area.”

Male rhinos also have been known to attempt to chase off a calf in an attempt to mate with its mother. White rhino mothers are fiercely protective and will fight a male threatening her calf regardless of the male’s size. The calves stick close to their mothers, not straying far from her side until the danger has passed. Once the calves are several years old, the mother chases them away before she gives birth to her next calf.

Male vs. Male Fights Can Get Fierce

While the fight may have looked harsh to us as we watched a peaceful mother and baby get interrupted, the male rhino meant no real harm. Neither mother nor baby was injured during the clash. When male white rhinos fight with other males, things can get intense.

The males fight over territory and, most often, in competition for females. There is no distinct mating season, and rhinos may mate all year, although there are times that experts have noticed peaks. When two male rhinos fight, they can easily cause serious damage from their sharp, powerful horns. According to the Pondoro Game Lodge in South Africa, “Serious injury and death mostly occur when there is a female in oestrus (near ovulation) present.”

White Rhino Conservation

The white rhinos in the video live in a game reserve where a breeding program has successfully increased their population. Unfortunately, white rhinos are on the IUCN Red List as near threatened. According to the IUCN, only 10,080 individuals were remaining in 2020. Although conservation efforts are underway, like the one in the game reserve, the IUCN estimates that white rhinos are decreasing.

White rhinos face many threats, including poaching for their horns, loss of habitat, and climate change. There are two subspecies of white rhinos: the northern and southern white rhinos. Sadly, there are only two remaining northern white rhinos left alive, although efforts are underway to increase the population by using  IVF methods. The southern white rhino nearly went extinct during the 19th century. Thanks to protection and conservation efforts, their numbers have rebounded.

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