Touran Bristow lives within the grounds of a wildlife reserve in South Africa, where her husband works as an anti-poaching ranger to protect the endangered rhinos who call the reserve home. There, Bristow has grown quite familiar with the iconic species as she walks the trails around their home with her horses, Magnum and Soiux.
But one day, the three of them had an encounter they won’t soon forget.
As Bristow rode atop Soiux, with Magnum following behind, a lone rhino appeared in the path ahead.
“It is relatively common for me to see them as I ride out amongst the wildlife very regularly,” Bristow told The Dodo. “I started filming [the rhino], expecting it to snort loudly and trot off the way they usually do.”
Bristow was careful to keep her distance so as not to disturb the rhino. But that’s when Magnum, who’d been lagging behind, began slowly moving ahead.
“Out of nowhere, Magnum walked past me and up to the rhino,” Bristow said. “Both were full of inquisition.”
Here’s footage of what happened next:
As Bristow looked on from afar, Magnum and the rhino appeared to size one another up, with each evidently determining that the other was not a threat.
“To be honest, I was terrified,” Bristow said. “He has never been that close to a rhino before. This was a highly unusual encounter.”
After several moments of indulging their shared curiosity about one another, the pair parted ways peacefully — with Magnum trotting back to where Bristow and Soiux had retreated.
Given that rhinos are typically shy, the encounter was unusual enough for Bristow to think that he and Magnum might already be acquainted.
“My two horses live within a fenced area next to my house on the wildlife reserve, so they are separated from the wildlife when not being ridden,” she said. “After this encounter, I wondered if perhaps the rhino had approached the paddock fence at some stage and they had gotten to know each other like that. They just seemed so familiar with each other, so it made me wonder.”
Magnum has already proven to have a friendly spirit toward animals big and small.
“Magnum is the kindest animal I have encountered,” Bristow said.
Though some viewers have taken issue with the fact that Magnum was allowed to walk freely toward the rhino, Bristow believes he is keenly aware of and responsive to avoiding threatening situations. This was a peaceful encounter — belying rhinos’ sometimes brutish reputation.
Bristow and her husband hope this scene might raise awareness of how important it is to save them from those who might want to do them harm.
“I have always had profound respect for rhinos, having worked in rhino conservation for over ten years,” she said. “My husband is a rhino anti-poaching ranger, so it is his passion and job to protect them.”
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