 Reference Base  Ergebnisse zoologischer Forschungsreisen in Sumatra, I Sa... |
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Schneider, G., 1906. Ergebnisse zoologischer Forschungsreisen in Sumatra, I Saeugetiere (Mammalia). Zoologische Jahrbucher 23: 123-125
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| Location: |
Asia - South East Asia - Indonesia - Sumatra |
| Subject: |
Behaviour - Towards Man |
| Species: |
Sumatran Rhino |
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That the Sumatran Rhino will attack a human without being prompted, I have experienced myself. Around 5 pm, I was in company of 3 locals, when we came to a small open place in the forest which we had to cross. One of the men whispered: 'Sir, there is a rhino over there.' And indeed I saw, at about 20-30 m from us, at the opposite side of the glade, a rhinoceros eating small twigs. I made up my mind first to observe it for a while and then to shoot it. I went closer to the animal at about half the distance, with my gun ready. Quite unexpectedly, the Bahdak raised its head, tried to get the smell, and then came directly running towards me, making grunting noises. Only with great pains I was able to hide behind the roots of a Ficus-tree, as it was difficult to run quickly in the tall grass. The attack of the animal without provocation was so unexpected, that I surely could not get a shot at it, and had to let it run past me. I clearly saw how it moved its head up and down and how the horns touched the ground, making obvious furrows. The rhino did not walk straight, but it made movements left and right, so that the tracks looked as if in a zig-zag. When my men had climbed down the trees where they had escaped to, we looked at the furrows, which ran a bit to the left, then a bit to the right. Unfortunately I did not measure the depth of these furrows, but I remember well that they were not very deep, more like scratches in the soil, but deeper where the soil was wetter. When we continued our march, we found a path which the animal had taken often, with a large dung heap of the rhino. We did not see the animal again.
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