Disney World Safari Guests Get Unexpected Show When Rhinos Start Fighting Next to Their Truck
Guests on a safari ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom got quite a show when four rhinos started fighting near their truck. The animals were chasing each other through the mud and came close enough to splash water near the vehicle.
A Disney visitor named Brittany Ford shared a video of the encounter on TikTok during a morning ride on Kilimanjaro Safaris. At the start of the video, two rhinos are already butting heads in the mud.
They chase each other down the muddy path and go around the back of the truck. Two more rhinos join them, and all four end up close to the vehicle.
The safari guide explained that introducing a male rhino to a group of females can cause fighting, according to WDW News Today. The rhinos eventually moved away from the truck after splashing around in the mud.
Why Rhinos Behave This Way
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@brittany.ford1 Kilamanjaro safari rhino fight at Animal Kingdom this morning 😅 🦏🦁🐒 #animalkingdom #kilamanjarosafari #primebreedingage #FYP #hepooped ♬ original sound – Brittany Ford
Disney has both white and black rhinos at Animal Kingdom, and the animals have plenty of room to roam around. Their habitats include hills, trees, grasses, and places where they can interact with one another.
The park has also discussed sparring among its white rhinos. In a 2022 update about three young rhinos, Disney explained that white rhinos are social animals that learn behaviors such as sparring and wallowing in mud from one another.
The three rhinos, named Ranger, Mylo and Logan, were all born at Animal Kingdom between October 2020 and November 2021. Disney introduced the young animals to the rest of the herd as they grew.
The park also maintains mud wallows for the rhinos, adding fresh clay and occasionally moving them around. Rolling in mud helps the animals stay cool, remove parasites, and protect their skin from sunburn.
What Guests Can See on Kilimanjaro Safaris
Kilimanjaro Safaris takes visitors through the 110-acre Harambe Wildlife Reserve on an approximately 18-minute guided tour.
The reserve is home to more than 30 animal species, including rhinos, elephants, giraffes, lions, zebras and crocodiles. Disney notes that the animals move around on their own, so guests won’t necessarily see the same things on every ride.
For visitors particularly interested in rhinos, Disney also offers an Up Close with Rhinos experience. The 60-minute backstage tour costs $49 per person before tax, requires separate park admission, and does not allow photography or video recording.
