A buffalo separated from its herd to confront a massive white rhinoceros but quickly failed and had to retreat.
As the tour at the Kariega Game Reserve in South Africa was coming to an end, guide Braden Colling spotted a herd of buffalo that appeared very agitated. He observed and discovered a male white rhinoceros seemingly encroaching on the buffalo’s territory. Subsequently, a buffalo weighing about a ton broke away from the herd to confront the large opponent. The encounter occurred in October 2019 but was recently shared by Colling on social media, drawing significant attention, as reported by Mail on October 1.
Braden drove closer to observe. He witnessed the rhinoceros playfully butting the buffalo for a while before using its horn to flip it over. The buffalo suffered a humiliating defeat and ran back to the herd. “It’s hard to believe. Seeing the rhinoceros toss the buffalo around so easily left me utterly astonished,” Braden shared.
“I know rhinoceroses are very strong, but this was truly an impressive display of power. During tours, I refer to rhinoceroses as the tanks of the African wilderness. Their bodies are made up of 2.5 tons of muscle,” he added.
Braden mentioned that fortunately, both the buffalo and the rhinoceros were unharmed after the incident. This was the first time he witnessed such a battle between a rhinoceros and a buffalo. When these two creatures encounter each other, they usually give each other as much space as possible.
“Buffaloes can be quite temperamental, but white rhinoceroses are generally not that aggressive. They rely on their sense of smell since their eyesight is very poor. I believe this rhinoceros was having a bad day, and the buffalo provoked its wrath,” Braden noted.
The white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is a herbivore weighing approximately 1.6 to 4 tons. They have two horns, with the front horn being larger and more prominent. Female rhinoceroses use their horns to protect their young, while males use them to fight enemies. However, horns are also the reason many rhinoceroses are killed. In some places like China, Taiwan, and Singapore, rhinoceros horns are used in traditional medicine. Meanwhile, in North Africa and the Middle East, they can be used as decorative knife handles.
