White Rhino Pictures

You would think that getting white rhino pictures of an animal that weighs 3.5 tons would be easy but they can be remarkably elusive on occasion.

In fact, it was touch and go in the early part of this century whether anyone would ever photograph a live white rhinoceros in Southern Africa again because they almost became extinct.

White Rhino Picture

Heavyweight Crossing the Road

At the turn of the century these magnificent animals were completely wiped out in South Africa except for a small pocket of about ten left in Natal.

Only the drastic intervention by the Natal Parks Board to prevent poaching and conserve the species prevented them from slipping over the edge into oblivion forever.

The numbers began to increase steadily under the park boards stewardship until there were enough for translocation to other reserves. Most of the rhinos in Southern Africa today including those in the Kruger National Park originate from those last ten left standing.

Best Places to Take Pictures of a White Rhino

The place where the species was saved from extinction is the Umfolozi-Hluhluwe Reserve in Natal and today is an excellent place to get both black and white rhino pictures because they occur there in decent numbers.

White Rhino Behinds The Kruger National Park is also prime rhino pictures area because they abound here.

On a safari there recently I saw and photographed white rhinos every day for over a week.

On one occasion there was a group of ten of them lying together in the shade of a copse of trees to escape the midday sun.

It can be frustrating to try and photograph these giants especially in the long grass because they are grazers which means that the horn is obscured by the vegetation as they feed.

I have a series of thirteen pictures taken of a rhino where the horn is not clearly visible in any of them because of the long grass. But as always in wildlife photography, patience is the key because the next day the opportunity came along to photograph one that was crossing the road where the horn is clearly visible.

Their eyesight is not good at all so they will often stand for awhile to try and catch the scent which gives you a good opportunity to snap some photos.