Atypical animal behaviour: White rhino battles with elephants in territorial row in South Africa

© The Luxury Safari Company/Sanctuary Retreats

White rhino are unlikely to take on a group of elephants, making Sergeant's defensive behaviour unusual.

    

The peace of a morning game drive in South Africa was broken this week when a disgruntled male white rhino saw his territory invaded by a herd of breeding elephants.

Sergeant, a proud white rhino, confronted the large mammals as they made their way across the floodplain, watched by safari guests.

While black rhinos are known to show aggression, white rhinos are normally passive, making Sergeant's decision to take on the group highly unusual.

The elephants kicked up dust, blew their trumpets and charged at him in an attempt to stand their ground while protecting their young calf.

    

Sergeant, however, refused to budge, defending his patch against the intruders.

Elephants are the only land mammals larger than white rhinos, whose male sex can weigh up to 2,000 - 2,300 kg (4,400 - 5,100 lb). Even black rhinos would be unlikely to take on a group of elephants, making Sergeant's actions even more atypical.

    

    

The elephants made their retreat into the reserve, which cannot be named, amid recent concerns that geotagging on mobile devices leaves a digital footprint that can help poachers track down rare animals.

According to statistics from the South African Department of Environmental Affairs, 1,215 more rhinos were poached in 2014 - more than double the 2011 figure of 448.

Sergeant has been involved in stand-offs before. The Luxury Safari Company and Sanctuary Retreats, which captured the images, said he earned his name after a previous fight with another rhino bull, which left him with a large cut on his ear.

Rose Hipwood, founder of company, said: "To watch elephants and rhino do anything is amazing due to their extremely endangered status, but to see this stand off and feel the soil vibrate under the car is the stuff of dreams."