Sun International (17/1/1988)By Carol Lazar
An extraordinary love story is unfolding in a game park from the centre of Johannesburg. It is a Romeo and Juliet affair with a difference – the Romeo is an elephant and the Juliet is a rhino.
At kwaMaritane resort in Bophutatswana’s Pilansberg National Park, near Sun City, Jack a 12 year old Addo elephant, has fallen in love with Juliet, an 18-month-old white rhinoceros.
This is not a platonic relationship. It is a true, physical affair of the heart, and Jack has on several occasions attempted to consumate the union.
Ranger John Peel, while out on a game drive, came upon the happy couple and watched with amazement as Jack tried for 25 minutes to woo and mate the shy, but not reluctant, Juliet. John recorded the attempted mating on film. Jack not only has love problems, it seems he has an identity crisis as well. He apparently regards himself as a rhino and spurns the other elephants in the reserve.
Said John: ”Jack was brought here about five years ago. Almost from the beginning, he had identitiy problems, perhaps because Addo elephants are on the small side.
“At first, his attention was caught by a female white rhino and her calf. Today, he’s joined up with a herd of one female and six youngsters. From time to time a bull rhino comes visiting, but the female takes no notice.
“Originally, Jack was pretty keen on her.” But in typically fickle male fashion Jack lost interest in the mother and instead, cast his eyes on her younger, more attractive daughter, Juliet. It was love at first trumpet. Said game ranger Raymond Sheller: “The affair has lasted for over three months and there is no doubt Jack is still interested only in Juliet. He hangs around her the whole time. You could say he was cradle-snatching. She is, after all, very young”
However, it seems the chances of hearing the patter of the tiny feet of a rhinophant or elephoceros are remote.
Logistically, the situation is fraught with difficulties. Said Raymond tastefully: “A Keyhole must have the correct key to fit before the door opens. Anyway, the gestation period for a white rhino is 16 months, while that for an elephant is 22 months.”
Although “displacement” in the bush – a term used to describe when an animal of one breed is common, the incidence of disparate animals mating is rare, if not unknown. Neither of the kwaMaritane rangers had previously heard of an elephant and rhino attempting to mate. Mr Roy Wilkinson, curator of the Johannesburg Zoo, said he was surprised at such an extraordinary relationship, especially in the wild.
“I have never heard of something like this before,” he said. “You get strange relationships – for example, there was the famous friendship here in Johannesbug between a dog. However, it was purely platonic.”
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