Scottish student attacked by rare black rhino in South Africa

A Scottish student has described the terrifying moment he was attacked by a rare black rhino on a conservation trip in South Africa.

Kieran Munns was lucky to escape with a dislocated hip and severe bruising after the animal ran at a group of rangers in northern Zululand.

The 21-year-old was rammed by the 1,500kg female with her calves and trapped against a tree.

As she turned around to come back, one of her calves then trampled his leg.

A keen conservationist since he discovered the WWF Save The Rhino campaign when he was nine years old, Kieran has been living in South Africa for almost two years.

His family comes from Livingston, West Lothian, and he grew up in the Midlands.

On Wednesday, he was offered the chance to be part of the rhino monitoring team in a private reserve.

The group of eight was tasked with monitoring a female black rhino that rangers had not seen for some time.

Speaking from a hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, he said; "The encounter did turn ugly.

"Thankfully it was nothing more than a bang to the head from falling and my hip getting injured by being stepped on by a young calf which was with the mother black rhino."

He described the moment the rhino attacked and believes the animal had picked up the scent of the ranger group.

"It happened really fast. We think she was asleep in the bush and then she just came at us - fast.

"I was at the back of the group and people just scattered and started to hide because the black rhino has typically poor eyesight.

"I saw her coming and pushed two guys behind the trees. But I didn't get out of the way in time."

The rhino headbutted him.

"She hit me and I was sandwiched between her and the tree," he said. "I fell and she came around to hit me again and then the calf ran across my leg.

"When she was getting ready to go a third time, everyone started shouting and they ran off."

Kieran was taken to hospital by IPSS Medical Rescue who had been scrambled, along with anti-poaching units to find him.

After popping his hip back into place, all he is left with are substantial bruises.

Numbers of the endangered African black rhino have increased slightly over the past six years partly due to ambitious protection efforts against poachers.

The animals are known for their "attack-first" attitude when they catch an unfamiliar scent.

"They are likely to charge at anything unfamiliar and have a reputation, because of their bad eyesight, of sometimes charging into objects such as trees and rocks, mistaking them as threats."

Wednesday's encounter was the closest Kieran has had with a rhino. But despite being hurt, he says he cannot wait to get back out into the reserves again.

"No serious injuries have occurred and I'm making a good recovery. I still absolutely love what I do and have no negative feelings towards the innocent rhino.

"I still love and adore all animals, including the black rhino, and look forward to being back in the field as soon as I'm able.

"I was scared but I love these animals and she was only protecting her calves. It's just one of those things."