Are Rhinos Dangerous? Black Rhino Temper and Real Risks

Why rhinos charge

Rhinos are herbivores, so any attack on a person is defensive. A rhino charges when it feels threatened, surprised or cornered, or when it is protecting a calf. With a body weighing up to a tonne or more and a horn that can be over half a meter long, even a short charge can cause serious injuries.

Several features make rhinos jumpy. Their eyesight is usually described as weak, so a rhino may detect movement or smell a person before it can tell what that person is. Many rhinos respond to an unidentified threat by running toward it, which may be a way of investigating or scaring it off. They also have keen hearing and an excellent sense of smell, so wind direction and noise often decide whether a rhino notices people at all.

Black rhinos: the short-tempered rhino

The black rhino has a long-standing reputation for a short temper. It is mostly solitary, lives in thick bush where encounters happen at close range, and readily charges perceived threats. Black rhinos have been seen charging vehicles, trees and even termite mounds.

When startled, a black rhino may snort loudly, raise its tail and either crash off through the bush or come straight toward the noise. Many charges stop short or swerve away once the rhino sees what it is dealing with, but some do not. Black rhinos are also aggressive toward each other: fights between bulls are a significant natural cause of death in the species.

White rhinos: calmer, but still wild

The white rhino is the largest rhino, weighing up to about 2,300 kg (5,000 lb) or more. It is a grazer of open grassland and lives in looser social groups, and it is generally much calmer than the black rhino. When disturbed, white rhinos often gather in a defensive group or trot away.

Even so, white rhinos are wild animals of enormous strength. A mother with a young calf, a territorial bull or a rhino that is suddenly surprised may charge. Walking safari guides treat white rhinos with great respect for this reason. For more on how the two species differ in size, see How much does a rhino weigh?

Asian rhinos

The greater one-horned rhino of India and Nepal can also be dangerous. It lives in tall grassland where people and rhinos may meet suddenly, and in villages near parks such as Chitwan in Nepal, rhinos occasionally injure or kill people collecting grass or firewood. Unlike African rhinos, this species attacks mainly with its sharp lower incisor tusks rather than its horn. The Javan and Sumatran rhinos are so rare and shy that encounters with people almost never happen.

How often do rhinos hurt people?

There are no reliable global statistics on rhino attacks, and figures that circulate online are guesses. What is clear is that rhinos injure and kill far fewer people than hippos, crocodiles or elephants in Africa (see why hippos are so dangerous). Most serious rhino incidents involve people on foot at close range: rangers, trackers, field researchers, villagers and occasionally guests on walking safaris. People who stay in safari vehicles and follow their guide’s instructions face very little risk.

In a sad irony, people are far more dangerous to rhinos than the other way around. Poachers kill hundreds of African rhinos in a typical year for their horns.

Staying safe around rhinos

Most rhino encounters happen on safari, and the basic rules are simple:

• Stay inside the vehicle on game drives, and keep voices low.
• Keep a generous distance, and let your guide decide how close to approach.
• Never block a rhino’s path, especially between a rhino and water, cover or its calf.
• Watch for warning signs such as snorting, a raised head and tail, ears pointed forward or pawing the ground, and back away calmly when they appear.
• On walking safaris, go only with trained, licensed guides and follow their instructions exactly.

If anyone is injured by a rhino or any other large animal, seek emergency medical help immediately; in the US call 911, in the EU 112 and in the UK 999, or the local emergency number in the country you are visiting.

Bottom line

Rhinos are powerful, unpredictable animals that deserve respect, and the black rhino in particular is quick to charge. But they are not man-eaters or aggressive by nature: they simply want to be left alone. Watched from a safe distance with an experienced guide, rhinos are one of the great sights of an African or Asian safari. Other big herbivores have similar reputations, such as the Cape buffalo.