A furious rhino mother confronted and scared off a group of 15 elephants in a dramatic clash, all captured on camera.
Despite being outnumbered, the mother rhino fiercely protected her calf and then sprinted directly at the approaching elephants, sending them scattering in a cloud of dust.
Carpenter Martin Meyer captured this intense encounter while visiting a South African national park. He described the scene: “Around 20 meters away, a herd of 15 elephants, including a matriarch, young elephants, and sub-adult bulls, approached the mother and calf.”
After the initial shock, the elephant herd regrouped and inched closer to the rhino, almost taunting her. Some young bulls even circled around from behind.
For over three minutes, the mother rhino and the elephant matriarch stared each other down before the rhino finally snorted and moved away.
The length of the mother rhino’s horn is unknown, but for reference, the longest horn in a white rhino can reach over a meter and a half. Female white rhinos can weigh up to two tonnes, while a fully grown female African elephant can weigh nearly three.
Armed with only her beautiful horn and her motherly instinct the mother rhino stood her ground and protected the calf, although she was completely outnumbered by the elephants, in stunning pictures captured in South Africa
A group of approximately 15 elephants, including a matriarch, several youngsters, and sub-adult bulls, were nearing the path of the mother rhino and her calf who followed closely behind her.
When they were approximately 20 meters away from her, she suddenly burst into a sprint with her baby following closely. She charged directly at the approaching elephants, causing them to scatter in all directions, creating a cloud of dust in the process.
As the dust settled the matriarch elephant broke her eye contact and position first, and began walking behind the two rhinos, changing her troops’ direction towards a water hole to the right of where the action happened
Upon recovering from their initial shock, the elephant herd regrouped and formed a line, moving closer to the rhino mother. It seemed almost as if they were taunting her, while some of the young bulls circled around them from behind.
More than three minutes of stand-off followed as the staring continued between the rhino mother and the matriarch of the elephants, in the stunning pictures captured earlier this year at an unnamed national park
While we don’t have exact measurements of the mother rhino’s horn in this instance, it’s worth noting that the longest horn in a white rhino can extend to over a meter and a half. Additionally, female white rhinos can weigh up to two tonnes, whereas a fully grown female African elephant can weigh nearly three tonnes.
The photographer said he had noticed the mother react unusually and stare towards his left while he was admiring her magnificent horn and the cute calf, before the calf also turned to look in the same direction