Another Tuesday, another story for you. This time, the topic is the humble Rhinoceros. Did you know that, in 2013, South African Black Rhinos were relocated by means of helicopter to a secret location? Imagine their surprise when they woke up, kilometers away from their home. Safe, at last, from poachers.
I had a strange dream last night. At least, it wasn’t night time but I must have been dreaming. It was all very strange, disconcerting. I’ve never experienced such a dream before. Usually my dreams are filled with smells of lush grass, trees with juicy leaves near cool waters and warm sunshine. Ah, the good life! My needs are simple and so are my dreams. But not this time. I still can’t get my head around what happened. But, let me start at the beginning.
It was five sunsets ago that the strange thing happened. I was minding my own business, grazing on low lying leaves and wondering if I should go and wallow in the muddy pool before bedtime when I became aware of something stirring in the undergrowth. A new scent wafted towards me. It smelt of danger. Though I was on my own, I knew my friends were nearby. We don’t tend to be close knit but we always know where everyone is. We’re not like the zebra or the elephant. They are all about family, herd, the bonds that tie. We, Rhinos, like a more solitary life. Except when we mate. But that’s another story.
As I was saying, a new, strange scent was in the air. My ears pricked up. A primal fear ran through my veins. Only two full moons ago I had witnessed a horror I still shudder to recall. My little brother – we were young strapping calves together – unusual in the rhino world but I was lucky, I suppose. Well, as I was saying, my little brother went missing. We didn’t think much about it for a while as we don’t keep that close an eye on each other. Especially us boys. We’re competition really but I didn’t mind my brother hanging around now and then. He always looked up to me – me being the bigger of the two. To be honest, it was nice to show off in front of him. He was in awe of my size, all muscle, he’d say. And my horns, well, let’s just say, I wear mine with pride. In mating times, I strut my stuff with the best. All the girls compete for my attention. But, I’m getting off the point. I was trying to tell of what happened to my brother. His horns were nothing to be ashamed of, if I’m honest. And they were growing nice and shapely. He was a handsome bull. But no more…
Sorry. I had to take a moment. We, Rhinos, have tough hides but, inside, we’re marshmallows. Sensitive beasts, I suppose. As I was saying, I was wandering just before sunset and wondering which way to go next when I sniffed a scent in the air and then thought I saw a bulk in the shadows... My eyesight is not the best, even in full sunshine. I pawed the earth a few times. I swayed and sniffed again, trying to get up the courage to go nearer. The scent was a mixture of the strange and the familiar. A whiff of my brother mixed with the unknown. I had to go nearer. Slowly. Hesitantly. It took quite a while before I approached near enough to see that it was, indeed, my brother lying in the dust. But that was not the horror. Death comes to us all in the Savannah, sooner or later. No. It was the open wound, a gash, in the very center of his head. His lovely horns were no more and in their place a mockery of his handsomeness. I rose my head and bellowed, no doubt my grief was heard in every corner of the land.
Now, you can understand why, when that strange scent came to me again, it made my blood run cold. Some unseen beast coveted our horns and, perhaps, it was now my turn to pay the deadly price for my pride. I turned to run but something was preventing me from making my escape. I had felt a slight scratch and thought nothing of it but, now, I found I couldn’t raise my legs, each one feeling like a dead weight, dragging me down. Slowly, gradually, everything was turning black and down I went, convinced that I had just seen my last view of my beloved home.
And that was when the dream came to be. The sound of voices, urgently giving instruction. My legs being tied. A cloth placed gently over my eyes. I could feel and hear these things but I could not move. I waited for the pain. Surely the next thing would be the removal of my horns. It would hurt. Of that there could be no doubt. I braced myself in this half-waking, half-sleeping nightmare. Instead, though, there was a strange sensation. Of floating, flying through the air, weightless for the first time in my life. The air beneath me instead of just above. I seemed to swing to and fro, upside down. The blood rushed to my head. After the first moment of panic, I began to enjoy this new experience. I suddenly understood what it must be like to be a bird, featherless though I was.
My flight seemed to last for a long time but, in fact, it was probably just as long as it takes for an Oxpecker to clean behind my ears before I felt I was descending. Back down to earth. More voices. More activity around me. I braced myself for the end that surely must come now. But, instead, the voices faded into the distance. The whirring noise that had accompanied my flight was gone. Slowly I felt the blood return to my legs. I tested them and found I could stand up now. Wobbly but awake. What a dream that had been! I looked around. I was alone. But all was not as it should have been. What place is this? Lush grassland. Trees with juicy leaves growing near the most beautiful pool of muddy water that sparkled in the warm sunshine. Somehow, as I slept, I had been transported to Rhino heaven and still the dream goes on.
MMWONK! MMWONK!
🦏💖