White Rhino Mother Teaches Baby Defense.

Life lessons in the wild can be very harsh and extreme but are necessary for the growth and development of all young animals. As humans our parents need to teach us about certain dangers in life and how to deal with or avoid hazardous situations at a very young age. Animal parents need to pass on similar knowledge and teach their young how to deal with a wide variety of threats.Watching a mother animal interacting and teaching her baby one of theses lessons can be one of the most exciting, scary and heart warming experiences one can witness in the wild.
On a recent Wild Planet Safari in June, our guests got to enjoy one of the wilds most important lessons - How to defend against a predator.
On this particular occasion the teacher was a mother White Rhino, the student was her calf and the predator was a young Spotted Hyena.

It was at the crack of dawn on an overcast day, unfortunately this made video capture nearly impossible and poor conditions for photography. The white rhino were enjoying a drink from the waterhole when the spotted hyena approached. Hyena are very inquisitive and always on the look out for a meal. The hyena came straight for the white rhino calf, the mother  white rhino kept a close eye on the hyena as it approached. The white rhino calf then instinctively moved to the opposite side of the mother, keeping in the safety zone behind the bulk of the large female.

The mother White Rhino had noticed the young age of the hyena and decided this was the perfect time for a life lesson. She slowly turned back to the waterhole and continued to drink giving her calf a moment to show his bravery. The calf was not yet brave enough to take control of this situation and it required a small shove from the mother to get the lesson underway. The white rhino calf then gave the hyena a small mock charge.

The hyena was caught off guard by the brazen calf and made a short retreat. This encouraged the young white rhino and gave him the boost he needed to see off the threat. Just as the calf thought he had succeeded in chasing off the hyena, the hyena turned back for a closer inspection.

The white rhino calf stood his ground under the watching eye of his mother. A tense stand off followed, neither the calf or the hyena were willing to back down.

Suddenly the hyena circled around the calf and came between the mother white rhino and her calf.

The white rhino calf then made a hasty retreat to the safety of the mother. The mother was satisfied with the day`s lesson and one big grunt and horn swipe was enough to send the hyena hurtling into the bush.
The entire lesson took close to 15 minutes and for the entire time we were all mesmerized by the action. A rare occasion like this is what makes a lasting impression and lifetime memory for our guests and it is what inspires us as guides to keep learning the lessons of the wild.

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