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On the walks I have done in the past, the most urgent order we have been given when close to lion is "whatever happens, don't run "
"Yeah right"
I have never had the chance to test the "anything happening". The lions have always been wary of us.
I have sometimes wondered, would my reason overcome my most primitive instinct to run?

Last year we stayed few days in private GR near kruger. The owner of the bush lodge is a â€Â

Once on trail in Kruger (Bushmans Trail) our ranger spotted a lone lion on a buff kill, We circled around and came up closer to have a better look. We were hardly close enough to see him clearly when he sensed us and turned and bolted in the other direction. Cats are in a way similar to us humans. On a certain day you can ask your boss for Friday off and he will say sure, on another day he will bite your head off. Nature as a whole is unpredictable, there are no given norms so rather don't take the risk. (even an inocent looking peeeeg can do serious damage to you)

I think the most dangerous animal, regardless of size or temprament, is a mother with a little one.
On one of our walks the ranger was very keen to track a group of lions, until he realised that there were cubs as well. He then changed tactic and stayed within binocular distance.

But if you arent ever going to risk asking your boss for fridays off , how are you ever going to get a long weekend away in the bush .

White rhinos aren't normally agro papop , and charge because they cant see (Poor eyesight of note) where the potential danger is that they sense, and are moving to another area rather than specifically charging you , its just sometimes they are moving off in your direction .
By shouting out , you are alerting them to your position , and they will then move off in another direction .

Has anyone been amazed by the amount of rhinos 1 comes across when walking in the bush ?

Another animal that does not feature in the big 5 , but I have a healthy respect for when walking , is chacma baboons , I dont trust them 1 bit , any advice on dealing with these critters , apart from the occasional stone throw ?

The times we have had "trouble" with white Rhino, and there have been 3 occasions, was when there were 3 Rhino together. I would be interested to know if anyone has any theories on why this would be so, or is it merely coincidental?
I must say we have no problem stopping for one or two, unless they have a calf at foot but have a healthy respect for any groups of three that we come across.

We once came along 11 white rhino, juveniles included. It was the biggest group you can imagine. The ranger made sure we were always away from the direction of wind. They looked very peaceful.
On the same trip we came across 3 males together, but once they got our scent, they were gone.
The only time we had a heart stopping moment was with a lone white rhino. It caught our scent and came charging towards us, it then realised that we were in front of it and did a most amazing u-turn. The animal was not being aggressive, it was just misdirected.
Our ranger let us know that he would never have gone so close were it black rhino.

Before the first ever trip to SA, I read a list of dos & don'ts if when out walking you happen upon a wild animal:-
Buffs- If charged by a lone buff - climb a tree or stand still and sidestep at the last minute.
Black Rhino- Similar to buff
Ellie-Don't. Mock charge, ears flapping, head up , noisy, for real, ears down, head down, full speed ahead.
Lion- back off slowly, don't run or turn round, try to show no fear (ha), it the lion starts to takes too much interest - shout at it.
Hippo & Crocs- Thought this was pretty obvious don't go swimming with them and never get between a hippo and the water.

I think they just spook each other , much like impalas drinking , 1 will jerk up and all the others do it also .

Cant say I have ever had a hassle with white rhino , black rhino on the other hand are the most agro things in the bush ,
and I think about 60 percent of those I have seen have charged the vehicle , the other 40 percent were on opposite sides of the river and so on

Precisely what are you suppose to shout …..
{Think for me this reaction will come quite naturally }

I dont know , but whatever you are shouting , make it a prayer , it might be more usefull than some arb swear words

The way I would be feeling, my prayer would most likely sound like some arb swear words
In actual fact, I can hear the combination already.

Very true…

Under the Wild Cat thread it was mentioned how all cats are alike. This is actually so true if you think about the advice given for encountering a lion.
My cats at home will when they play with each other or me, not “attackâ€Â

On my sister's trip to Kgalagadi before this last one, a lion walked right up to the fire while they were braaing. I asked her what she did " I screamed and ran ofcourse!" she said, this coming from someone who really does know better and spends alot of time in the bush

What an experience
But seriously have you ever seen a lion take an animal down that is standing still, it is always a chase so it makes sense.
I would try not to run but would definately need a change of underwear