There is an old legend and I am curious to know if it is true. It is said that a black rhino will run up and stomp out a campfire st night. This strikes me as odd but I suppose it wouldn't surprise me if it were true.

Does anyone know if this is a true fact or not?

Robert, family of mine had this happen to them on a couple of occasions during the 70's in Mana Pools.
Cheers Stu

I'm not an expert on camping in black rhino areas. What is true is that black rhino are territorial. They are therefore likely to find any intrusion into their territory most disagreeable. Intrusion is mostly detected by smell, and particularly at night smell will play a much more important role in detecting intruders into the territory than sight. Black rhino is also one of the really bigger "does not take shit from anyone" type of animals. They are therefore likely to charge blindly at the smell of intruders - who happen to sit around a campfire at night. The "stomping out" of the campfire may IMHO be quite incidental, and not the main reason for the "charge" and subsequent action?

I do not claim that my argument is at all convincing, but then anyone telling me that it is true that a black rhino will "intentionally charge at and stomp out a campfire" should also give some possible and plausible explanation for the unusual behavior.

Back in the days when rhino were a common sight in the Selous, we had this happen on several occasions.
Its main concern was the fire and not the campers who had by this time jumped into the back of the truck or up the nearest tree.

Interesting indeed! So, it would appear that the old legend is true!

It must be true.
There is a video on You Tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ81dcD1N8s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ81dcD1N8s

I think that video is taken from the movie "The Gods Must be Crazy"

Dave

It's easy to gey up that thorn tree ... but a bitch to get down!

I never realized how accurate the phrase "wait-a-minute" thorn was until I got stuck in it. So easy to get into and so difficult to get out!

I believe the first description of this is the one in William Henry Drummonds book Large Game and Natural History of eastern and southern Africa. Well worth the read in Google books. Interesting to hear confirmation of this apart from the scene in The gods must be crazy.

I have been told that it can happen but very rarely and hippo have been known to do it too.

Sad thing in regards to black rhino...none of us are likely to ever experience it in the future.

What's especially sad is the amount of money spent each year by HSUS could probably save the black rhino.

Yes...exactly...if...they and the governements that house the rhino...had 2 brain cells to reside together.

One of the most disturbing things I've heard is from Fujotupo, that rhinos were common in the Selous in his lifetime. It's sad that it has changed so dramatically in so short a time.

By the way, Fujotupo, I appreciate the reply on the PM about tsetses, but I can't reply at this point because the site requires me to enter a password, which I did years ago and cannot possibly remember it.

They (black rhino) were common in the Zambezi Valley as well as short a time ago as the 1980's.

If you hunted Chewore circum-1980 you would have most likely had to climb a tree at least once in the endeavor.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
They (black rhino) were common in the Zambezi Valley as well as short a time ago as the 1980's.

If you hunted Chewore circum-1980 you would have most likely had to climb a tree at least once in the endeavor.

Yes, I hunted Charara in 1986 and we saw 4 Black Rhino in 13 days of hunting.