With the reintroduction of rhino into the Okavango Delta that has been happening for the past decade, it’s always a hope that we get to see one of these endangered animals in their natural habitat. After searching for a leopard for most of the morning, we decided to take one last turn into an area where we were hoping to see signs of rhino.
Sure enough, as we entered a clearing, a female black rhino stood facing us, feeding with her head held high and her ears locked on our position. Fortunately for us she was a relaxed female and after a few minutes we managed to position the vehicle close enough for a good view. We enjoyed about twenty minutes of close up viewing.
Known for their unpredictability, black rhino will often either trot off at the first sign of people, or come in closer for a better look, earning them a reputation for being aggressive. This certainly can be the case, but this female kept her eye on us and showed some curiosity, but no aggression, and just before we left her, she was no further than fifty feet from our vehicle, watching us from the shade of a low acacia tree.
This really ended our morning’s viewing on a high as there are so few of these animals left in the wild and we knew the significance of seeing one in such a huge and unfenced wilderness such as the Okavango.