With today’s technological possibilities everyone knows how a rhino looks like. Everyone knows that its skin colour is grey. Everyone knows that it can run very fast. Everybody knows that it makes strange and loud noises. But how does it feel to face a rhino in nature without protection?
Not everybody knows the answer to this question, although everybody should. Perfectly organised by Nekacheya Travel and Tours we arrived at the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park in the late afternoon of a Saturday. There we were handed over to a local tourist guide at the site where the rhinos rest. After a short walk through sand and rocks, strange noises caught our attention. We turned our heads towards the noises that suddenly turned louder and louder. And there it is. An adult rhino walking straight towards us only a few metres away. Although this experience cannot be put into words, I will try my best to do so. The massive grey body that covers large parts of your sight, the short but large legs that move tons of muscles, the heavy breathing and the long and pointy horn facing into my direction. This is where time stops for a second and my brain stops thinking and remains in a state of calmness and admiration. A feeling of helplessness conquering all parts of my body. What if the rhino feels threatened? What if the rhino becomes aggressive? What if it runs towards me? No answer to these questions. Only a feeling of helplessness and admiration for the power of nature. A moment every human should have to experience in life.
