 Reference Base  White rhino calf is bullied by male, but defended by its ... |
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Gradwell, J., 2000. White rhino calf is bullied by male, but defended by its mother. CCA Ecological Journal 2: 149
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| Location: |
Africa - Southern Africa - South Africa |
| Subject: |
Behaviour - Fighting |
| Species: |
White Rhino |
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On 24 November, we came upon three White Rhino - an adult male, and an adult female with a juvenile - standing together on a sand road. The male was seemingly intent on mating with the female and proceeded to chase the youngster away, but after running off for about 50m it quickly returned to its mother's side. After about 15 minutes of chasing, the male rhino became very aggressive and put its horn under the juvenile's groin to lift up onto its front feet and then bowl it over onto the ground. Once down, the calf was then rolled over and over for about 3m. The female promptly attacked the male rhino, cutting his face below the eye with a blow from her horn, but the male responded by striking out and cutting the female below the neck. A stand-off ensued and none of the rhinos appeared to he badly injured when we left the scene after about 20 minutes.
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