rhino attack safari car

"I just thought, they're coming, they're coming, it made me feel sick at the time.

“I desperately tried to put the car into reverse to get out of their way but they charging towards us so fast. It was terrifying.

"It was like a scene from Jurassic Park. The wheels were skidding but I couldn't get out of the way in time.

"The first rhino hit the car and I have horn marks on my car and the second one skidded into my car.

"My seven-year-old was in the front seat so saw everything and was very shaken up by it.

"It's traumatic, it plays on the minds of little ones.

"Luckily we're okay. I have not been able to sleep, I keep thinking 'what if' because it

could have been a lot worse.”

Safari park bosses offered the family four free tickets following the terrifying incident.

Stacey added: "The female rhino was in season so that's why the male rhino was chasing her.

"The safari park is not claiming liability which is fair enough, but the jeep was chasing the rhinos.

"Should an in-season rhino be left out in a family safari park?

"My seven-year-old keeps talking about it and going on about what happened, they gave us four free tickets, but I don't think he'll want to go back anytime soon.

"If we were to go again, I would feel quite nervous but I know what time the rhinos come out, so I would like to avoid them.

"It wasn't a very nice thing to go through.

"It was the last day of the holidays, so I thought I would take them to the safari park, we go quite a lot, we go five or six times a year.

"It's a shame because it's a lovely day out.

"My little boys love animals and it's quite hard to keep a one-year-old and a seven-year-old occupied.”

The rhinos charged into the family car before keepers rushed to the rescue at West Midlands Safari Park in Bewdley, Worcs., on Monday (5/9).

A spokesperson for the park said: "As part of the safari drive-through experience, many of our animals are able to roam freely between vehicles and this includes our herd of white rhino.

"Keepers in patrol vehicles are always in close attendance, to monitor all animal and vehicle movements for the safety of our guests.

"We do state that guests drive their own vehicles at their own risk and these T&Cs are required to be accepted at the time of booking tickets.

"We do offer guided minibus tours for those people who do not wish to enter the safari in their own vehicle.

"On September 5, one of our female rhinos collided with a vehicle within the African reserve.

"During the incident, our team of trained keepers in patrol vehicles attempted to guide the rhinos away, but unfortunately were unable to prevent the rhino from coming into contact with the car.

"The guests reported there were no injuries which is always our main priority, and following this, they continued their safari drive-through experience."

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Watch: The shocking moment a safari park rhino attacks a family's car

This is the terrifying moment a rhino repeatedly rammed its horn into a family’s car at a Mexican safari park.

The shocking incident took place at African Safari in the city of Puebla, and was caught on camera by a family travelling in another vehicle.

In the video, the rhino can be seen standing next to the car before suddenly starting to ram it with its horn.

The huge animal repeatedly rocks the car as the driver begins to pull away – but the rhino follows and continues charging into the vehicle.

The driver then begins tooting the horn in an attempt to stop the rhino, as safari park workers run to try to resolve the situation.

The car was reportedly damaged in the incident but nobody was injured.

The safari park said in a statement that the unfortunate sequence of events began when a female rhino on heat called one of the male rhinos, who responded by attacking the car with its horn.

MORE: Man with Down’s syndrome shot dead by Swedish police who thought his toy gun was real MORE: Sister of missing midwife makes tearful appeal for her safe return

The park added: “What happened is an isolated case related with the natural and wild nature of this species.

“We took the necessary measures in order to avoid something similar happening again. The rhino was separated and is staying in another part of the park while the fertile period of the female rhino ends.”

And while the visitors who were in the car said that they were shocked by what happened, they added that it was an experience they will never forget.

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Rhino slams car carrying mom, kids in Safari zoo

Mother and children were not injured but the car sustained damage; the rhino may have been 'stressed', staff at the ramat gan safari tell ynet.

Rhino Shows Off Strength by Obliterating Safari Car with Man Inside Driving

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A rhinoceros at a the Serengeti Park in Hodenhagen, Germany demonstrated its ridiculous power by obliterating a safari car as it drove through the park.

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Angry rhino attacks safari park car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd_oPnrVDuI&feature=emb_title

An enraged rhino at a German Safari Park in the German state of Lower Saxony was caught on film taking out its frustrations on a zookeeper’s car and damn was it frustrated because that rhino turned the small hatchback into a crumpled empty soda can.

According to park manager Fabrizio Sepe, the 30-year-old rhino, Kusini, had been at the zoo for 18 months, for breeding purposes, when it decided toss the car around like a toy that it hated. Officials did say that Kusini had not adjusted well to life at the Serengeti Safari Park.

Rhino Flips Car and Somehow the Zookeeper Was Fine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYN8B3zQHQA

At one point while watching this video I thought, “Did they purposely remotely pilot this car into the zoo environment for the rhino to, like, play with and beat up? There’s no way someone is in there. Right? The animal keeper’s car looks like it got hit by a train.

Turns out there was someone who works at the park was in the car and, for the most part, he ended up fine. Just a few bruises and maybe some serious dizziness. (No word on if he was covered in vomit and his own pee but… maybe?) What a trooper that guy is though. Let this be a lesson to all those park workers that the next time you drive into the rhino area maybe bring a heavy SUV instead of what thrifty Polish moms drive their kids to soccer practice in. That car seemed… ill-prepared for its environment.

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Wild video: rhino attacks family's suv at safari park.

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This is the terrifying moment a rhino attacked a vehicle at a safari park in Mexico.

The animal is seen jabbing its horn underneath the sports utility vehicle and lifting its wheels off the ground.

The footage, filmed from the car behind, shows the rhino appearing to push the car away as zookeepers scramble to deal with the situation.

A family was believed to be inside the vehicle during the attack at Africam Safari in Puebla on Monday, July 30. Josue Fernando Gonzalez, who witnessed the incident, told Reuters in an email that they first saw the rhino running toward some zebras and later charged the van; zookeepers let the cars out before closing the enclosure.

According to a statement by Africam Safari, the male rhino's aggressive behavior was due to the presence of a female rhino nearby, and that this was an "isolated case." Local media reported no one was injured and that the rhino is now in a different section.

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‘Scared’ rhino charges at tourist jeep and causes it to flip over, injuring six

One tourist who saw the rhino made a sound due to which the animal got scared, official says, article bookmarked.

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A “scared” rhino that was trying to cross a road with her calf charged at a tourist jeep after it came too close, leading the vehicle to topple over in a freak accident in India that left six people injured.

The jeep had a driver, tourist guide, and four tourists onboard when the rhinos emerged from a tall bush.

The animal, that wanted to cross the road with its calf, could be seen charging at the jeep as soon as it began to reverse, leading it to eventually topple to one side of the road, showed a 30-second-long viral video.

The mishap took place in the eastern West Bengal state on Saturday noon at the Jaldapara national park, famous for having a 290-strong population of the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros .

The national park’s divisional forest officer Deepak M said the tourist vehicle was on a safari. Tourists were photographing the animal when it suddenly emerged from behind the tall grass.

“One of the tourists who saw the rhino panicked and made a sound because of which the animal also got scared. The vehicle was reversing as it tried to back off but the driver lost control of the jeep slightly, which led the vehicle to slide off the jungle tracks,” Mr Deepak told The Independent on Tuesday .

In the viral video, the driver could be seen frantically reversing his vehicle, missing the forest track and skidding off on the right, as the two rhinos ran away into the wild.

Fortunately for the tourists, the rhino and its calf were gone at the time of rescue efforts, said the top forest official. Rhinos can attack humans and maim them if the animals feel threatened .

He added that people in another jeep, from the point of view of which the video was filmed , rushed to aid the tourists. All six injured were taken to a hospital near the park, Mr Deepak said.

He said this was a one-off incident and added that the forest division was taking critical measures to prevent such incidents.

“We are clearing the roadside areas by removing grass up to five metres from along the tracks for more visibility on these tracks. This is to ensure that people are able to spot the rhinos when they come very close as Jaldapara is a grassland area with tall grasses,” he said.

“What happens is that when the rhino comes close to the safari vehicles, people are unable to see it. This is a dry season, the colour of the grass in these months makes for a good camouflage for the animals and people are unable to see the rhinos clearly,” Mr Deepak explained.

The national park will also ensure first-aid kits will be kept in all jeeps immediately, the official said.

Officials are also holding a refresher course for all the roughly 55-60 jeep drivers and forest guides employed by the national park.

“These forest personnel will be educated on what to do under such circumstances as we saw that both got scared – the tourists and the animal,” Mr Deepak said.

The video also sparked discussions on social media as many criticised interactions with large animals in close proximity .

“I think it’s about time guidelines for safety and rescue in adventure sports are implemented in wildlife safaris across the country,” tweeted Akash Deep Badhawan, an Indian forest services officer.

“Safaris are becoming more of adventure sports now!”

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Moscow drone attack exposes Russia’s vulnerabilities, fuels criticism of military

Moscow attacked by drones

People look at a the apartment building in Moscow, Russia, damaged by a drone in an attack that authorities blamed on Ukraine, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. In Moscow, residents reported hearing explosions and Mayor Sergei Sobyanin later confirmed there had been a drone attack that he said caused “insignificant” damage. (AP Photo)

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An investigator inspects a damage after a Ukrainian drone attacked an apartment building in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. In Moscow, residents reported hearing explosions and Mayor Sergei Sobyanin later confirmed there had been a drone attack that he said caused “insignificant” damage. (AP Photo)

This photo shows a part of a Ukrainian drone which reportedly damaged an apartment building in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. In Moscow, residents reported hearing explosions and Mayor Sergei Sobyanin later confirmed there had been a drone attack that he said caused “insignificant” damage. (AP Photo)

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to Director General of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) Svetlana Chupsheva about a drone attack on Moscow and Moscow region prior to visiting the exhibition “Development of the Creative Economy in Russia” at the Zotov Cultural Center in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

This photo shows a part of an apartment building which was reportedly damaged by Ukrainian drone in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. In Moscow, residents reported hearing explosions and Mayor Sergei Sobyanin later confirmed there had been a drone attack that he said caused “insignificant” damage. (AP Photo)

Police officers and investigators collect parts of a Ukrainian drone which reportedly damaged an apartment building in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. In Moscow, residents reported hearing explosions and Mayor Sergei Sobyanin later confirmed there had been a drone attack that he said caused “insignificant” damage. (AP Photo)

Police block an area where investigators collect parts of a Ukrainian drone which reportedly damaged an apartment building in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. In Moscow, residents reported hearing explosions and Mayor Sergei Sobyanin later confirmed there had been a drone attack that he said caused “insignificant” damage. (AP Photo)

In this image taken from video, investigators inspect the building after a Ukrainian drone damaged an apartment building in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. In Moscow, residents reported hearing explosions and Mayor Sergei Sobyanin later confirmed there had been a drone attack that he said caused “insignificant” damage. (AP Photo)

Police officers guard an area where a Ukrainian drone damaged an apartment building in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. In Moscow, residents reported hearing explosions and Mayor Sergei Sobyanin later confirmed there had been a drone attack that he said caused “insignificant” damage. (AP Photo)

A window of an apartment building in Moscow, Russia, damaged by a drone in an attack that authorities blamed on Ukraine, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. In Moscow, residents reported hearing explosions and Mayor Sergei Sobyanin later confirmed there had been a drone attack that he said caused “insignificant” damage. (AP Photo)

Police guard an area as investigators collect parts of a Ukrainian drone which reportedly damaged an apartment building in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. In Moscow, residents reported hearing explosions and Mayor Sergei Sobyanin later confirmed there had been a drone attack that he said caused “insignificant” damage. (Denis Voronin/Moscow News Agency via AP)

A drone attack that targeted Moscow on Tuesday exposed glaring breaches in its air defenses and underlined the capital’s vulnerability as more Russian soil comes under fire amid expectations of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

The attack, which lightly damaged three apartment buildings, angered Russia’s hawks, who scathingly criticized President Vladimir Putin and the military brass for failing to protect the heart of Kremlin power more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the front line.

Five of the eight drones that took part in the raid were shot down, the Defense Ministry said, while three others were jammed and forced to veer off course. Some Russian media and bloggers alleged a larger number of drones were involved, but those claims couldn’t be verified.

The attack followed a May 3 drone strike on the Kremlin that lightly damaged the roof of the palace that includes one of Putin’s official residences. Other drones have crashed near Moscow in what Russian authorities described as botched Ukrainian attempts to attack the city and infrastructure facilities in the suburbs.

Last week, the Russian border region of Belgorod was the target of one of the most serious cross-border raids since the war began, with two far-right pro-Ukrainian paramilitary groups claiming responsibility. Officials in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar near annexed Crimea said two drones struck there Friday, damaging residential buildings. The attacks also drew calls for bolstering Russia’s borders.

Ukrainian authorities rejoiced over Tuesday’s drone attack but customarily avoided a claim of responsibility, a response similar to what they said after previous attacks on Russian territory.

In a sarcastic tweet, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that “even artificial intelligence is already smarter and more far-sighted than the Russian military and political leadership.”

The Russian military pummeled the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and other cities with cruise missiles and exploding drones for the past three nights, a significant spike in such attacks that have been regularly launched since October. The Ukrainian military said it shot down most of the missiles and remained coy about reporting damage from the strikes.

Putin cast the attack on Moscow as a Ukrainian attempt to intimidate its residents. He said Moscow’s air defenses worked as expected, but admitted that protecting a huge city is a daunting task.

“It’s clear what needs to be done to beef up air defenses, and we will do it,” he added.

Military watchers said the drones used in the attack were relatively crude and cheap but could have a range of up to 1,000 kilometers (over 620 miles). They predicted more could follow.

Some of the drones seen flying toward Moscow were the Ukrainian-made UJ-22s, capable of carrying explosives; others spotted in the skies near Moscow were similarly small vehicles.

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies International Security Program, noted that part of the reason why drones could make it all the way to Moscow undetected was because Russian air defenses are mostly focused on fending off attacks by more sophisticated weapons.

“They are oriented on missiles, ballistic missiles, regional missiles, aircraft, bombers, but not short- range drones, you know, which might be flying very low over the ground,” Cancian told The Associated Press. “The Russian air defense was just not designed to do this.”

The Russian military will likely move some of its air defense assets away from the front line to help protect Moscow, Cancian said, a move that would weaken Russian troops in the face of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

“That’s good for the Ukrainians in the sense that they’re pulling these systems away from other areas where they could be used maybe from front-line units,” he said.

The Kremlin’s muted response to the attack irked some hawkish commentators and military bloggers in Moscow, who had criticized the Russian leadership for failing to mount a stronger response.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the maverick millionaire head of the Wagner private military contractor that plays a key role on the battlefield in Ukraine, scolded the Russian military leadership and denounced them as “scum” and “swine” for failing to protect Moscow.

“You, the Defense Ministry, have done nothing to launch an offensive,” Prigozhin said in a statement released by his office. “How dare you to allow the drones to reach Moscow?”

Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Russian province of Chechnya who sent forces from the region to fight in Ukraine, urged the Kremlin to declare martial law nationwide and use all its resources in Ukraine “to sweep away that terrorist gang.”

Some Kremlin watchers noted that Putin’s calm reaction that contrasted with angry statements from Russian hawks reflects his belief that the public won’t be unsettled by the attack.

“Putin has talked repeatedly about the Russian people’s remarkable patience and tenacity,” Tatiana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Endowment said in a commentary. “No matter how defiant another Ukrainian attack is, Putin doesn’t think that it could provoke public discontent with the government.”

She noted that while playing down the strikes makes the authorities look “embarrassed and helpless,” it fits Putin’s course to drag out the conflict.

James Nixey, the director of the Russia and Eurasia program at Chatham House, said Tuesday’s attack signaled a growing Ukrainian determination to launch strikes deep inside Russia and predicted more will come.

“This is not the first and it’s not the last,” Nixey told AP. “The Ukrainians are in various respects flexing their muscles, seeing what they’re capable of hitting back. It is one more part of the Ukrainian play to ensure that they are not just playing defense, but they can play some offense as well.”

Despite the loud calls for revenge, the Russian military can’t do much more than what it has been doing since starting the war, Nixey noted.

“The reality is that Russia does have limits in what it can do. It’s got limits on manpower, limits on its finances, limits on its artillery munitions, missiles, drones, everything,” he said. “They’re already expending all their efforts, all their monies, all their treasure, all their blood if you like on prosecuting their war in Ukraine.”

Follow AP coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine-war

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Drones Disrupt Moscow Airport Traffic for a Second Day

Russia said it had intercepted drones in two parts of the country, in what appeared to be the latest in a string of Ukrainian attacks intended to bring the war home to Russia’s citizens.

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By Erin Mendell

• Aug. 22, 2023

Ukrainian drones were intercepted over two parts of Russia, including near Moscow, Russian officials said early Tuesday morning, the latest in a Ukrainian campaign to bring the war to Russia’s citizens across their border. Flights at airports serving the capital were stopped temporarily.

In the Moscow region, two drones were shot down, Andrey Vorobyov, the regional governor, said on the messaging app Telegram . One fell in Krasnogorsk, a town outside the capital, where windows shattered in a high-rise building and cars were damaged, though no one was injured, he wrote.

The damaged high-rise was an apartment building , according to Tass, the state news agency. The other drone fell in nearby Chastsy, Mr. Vorobyov said.

The statements could not be independently verified. Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on the drones, but Kyiv has increasingly demonstrated its ability to strike hundreds of miles inside Russia’s borders.

Flights were halted at Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo airports, but service at all three had resumed by 6 a.m., according to Tass . Drones also briefly disrupted flights at two Moscow airports on Monday .

Two other drones were electronically jammed and crashed in the Bryansk region, which shares a border with Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement .

Last week, Moscow said it intercepted a Ukrainian drone that then hit an exhibition center in Moscow’s financial district. Russia’s Defense Ministry has reported that more than two dozen drones have targeted Moscow and the surrounding region since the beginning of July — an apparent attempt to make everyday Russians feel vulnerable, though they have caused only minor damage and few casualties.

Separately, the ministry said Tuesday morning in a statement on Telegram that a Russian plane had destroyed a Ukrainian intelligence vessel near a Russian gas facility in the Black Sea. Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment and the claim could not be independently confirmed.

The Black Sea has been a vital theater of the war since Russia’s full-scale invasion almost a year and a half ago, with Russian warships there firing cruise missiles at Ukraine. But the naval conflict has heated up recently as Ukraine has expanded the size and reach of its drone force.

Raising the stakes still higher, Russia withdrew last month from a deal allowing grain ships to pass to and from Ukraine, stepped up its bombardment of Ukrainian ports and made threats against civilian shipping from other nations trying to reach Ukraine.

Erin Mendell , an editor on the Live news team in Seoul, has edited and reported from Asia since 2016. She joined The Times in 2022 after more than a decade with The Wall Street Journal, most recently in Hong Kong. More about Erin Mendell