Rhino fails to intimidate elephant in tense stand-off

March 2 (UPI) -- A visitor to a South African wildlife reserve captured video of a tense confrontation between a rhinoceros and the bull elephant that it failed to intimidate.

Joe Gregory, 34, whose video was posted to the Kruger Sightings channel on YouTube, said he was on vacation visiting a reserve that can only be reached by boat when he and his companions encountered the herd of elephants and a nearby crash of rhinos.

"It was an absolutely amazing sensation to see & be a part of the standoff where a young elephant bull in musth showed this male white rhino who was boss. We could all physically feel the testosterone aura which surrounded the battlefield of these 2 ancient rivals," Gregory said.

The rhino repeatedly appeared as though it was going to charge the elephant, but it backed off each time when the larger animal failed to flee.

Gregory said the encounter appeared to end in a "stalemate," but the elephant appears to have at least won the battle of intimidation after responding to the rhino's charge feint by throwing a tree branch, leading the rhino to back away from the confrontation.