Charge! Rhino runs full-pelt towards terrified safari tourists – but suddenly hits the brakes and changes its mind
- Sjoerd van der Werff was visiting the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania with family
- The family were sat in the Jeep when a rhino came charging towards them
- Rhino splayed its feet before stomping down a hidden track at the final minute
A group of tourists had a lucky escape when a rhino charging towards their jeep abruptly turned down a hidden track at the last minute.
Sjoerd van der Werff was on a family holiday to Tanzania when they decided to visit the Ngorongoro Crater.
Footage shows the lone rhino sprinting down a rural road in the conservation area.
This is the tense moment a rhino suddenly turned down a hidden track in the Ngorongoro Crater conservation area in Tanzania
The family, who were visiting Tanzania, first saw the rhino charging towards their car. But they managed a lucky escape as the animal appeared more interested in another route
It then moves close to the edge before crossing to the other side of the road.
The animal swerves its body in front of the terrified passengers as it decides where to head next.
It hits its own breaks, splaying its giant feet on all sides, in the clip from July 20 and recently shared online.
The African animal paused for a second before splaying its feet and changing direction, in the clip shared by Sjoerd van der Werff
Seconds later, the wild animal stomps through a break in the hedge and disappears down a hidden track.
The car’s front passengers then move their heads forwards to get a closer look while a lorry drives along the empty road.
Rhinos can reach running speeds of 50mph and are distinctively faster than other African species – hippos reach 18mph and elephants around 26km.
There are between 17,212 and 18,915 White Rhinos, with the majority living in South Africa, after decades of conservation work.
Meanwhile the terrified tourists sat in their Jeep and looked on. Rhinos can reach running speeds of 50mph and are distinctively faster than any other African species
More than 1,000 rhinos were killed between 2013 and 2017, and two and a half every day.
But there has been a decrease of 259 from 2017 to last year, according to The South African Department of Environmental Affairs.
Nine black rhinos were flown to the Serengeti national park in Tanzania from South Africa as part of efforts to restore its population.