THUD
October 27, 2014 7:18 PM   Subscribe

 
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:24 PM on October 27, 2014 [5 favorites]


boing boing boing boing



BOING BOING BOING BOING
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 7:29 PM on October 27, 2014 [24 favorites]


Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!

(that's the sound I made the whole time while watching this.)
posted by cooker girl at 7:31 PM on October 27, 2014


That is a goat, not a lamb.
posted by fshgrl at 7:32 PM on October 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


Someone make the goat a little horn and the rhino a huuuuuge sweater! (Don't actually do this but do draw pictures!)
posted by Mizu at 7:33 PM on October 27, 2014 [5 favorites]


That is a goat, not a lamb.

No, it's the rhino that thinks he is also a small lamb. A rhimb... or lambo.
posted by axiom at 7:37 PM on October 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


WHO IS AN ADORABLE LIVING TANK, YOU ARE YES YOU
posted by The Whelk at 7:45 PM on October 27, 2014 [38 favorites]


Wait I thought it was a lamb too. fshgrl can you please educate me on how to properly identify lambs vs. kids?
posted by zscore at 7:46 PM on October 27, 2014


If it helps, the mystery animal's name is Lammie.
posted by griphus at 7:49 PM on October 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


Thank you. After the Ottawa shooting and now this Ghomeshi thing, I needed that.

* checking Kijiji for nearest rhino kennel *
posted by Artful Codger at 7:52 PM on October 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'd've thought goat, by the gait.

I am far from an expert, and had assumed it was a lamb from its name.
posted by pompomtom at 7:52 PM on October 27, 2014


Don't be like that: I like fun and games.

Also: lamb.
posted by pompomtom at 7:56 PM on October 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


Look at the tail. It's a sheep with an unbobbed tail. Goat tails are much more perky.
posted by GrumpyDan at 7:57 PM on October 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


Gertjie has a a gamboling problem.
posted by Zed at 7:57 PM on October 27, 2014 [43 favorites]


This is cute as hell and also, one of the last places on earth I would like to be is between a rhinoceros and a stone wall.
posted by turbid dahlia at 8:03 PM on October 27, 2014 [15 favorites]


Rhino's gonna get picked last for basketball.
posted by BrotherCaine at 8:05 PM on October 27, 2014 [6 favorites]


the lmab/goat is all "oooh I'm in your vision and NOW I'm NOT...ohh you can se me...BUT NOW YOU CAN'T"
posted by The Whelk at 8:11 PM on October 27, 2014


I did some exhaustive research and found out that Gertjie also likes playing with rocks when Lammie isn't around, also there is a photo here of Lammie looking more distinctly sheepish. (Also at 2:50ish in the video. Exhaustive.)

This is great and I hope the increased attention leads to donations, because it seems like they're doing solid work in conservation and not just in the field of hilarious baby animal videos.
posted by jetlagaddict at 8:14 PM on October 27, 2014 [4 favorites]


Rhino's gonna get picked last for basketball.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who experienced a visceral middle school flashback while watching this.
posted by biddeford at 8:34 PM on October 27, 2014 [3 favorites]


GADONK GADONK GADONK GADONK
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 8:41 PM on October 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


how does a baby rhino even exist
posted by mullacc at 8:46 PM on October 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


Good point Grumpy Dan, it does have a sheep tail. Still, it's not a lamb!

Easiest way to tell sheep from goats is the top lip. Divided on sheep. Also goats are bright and active while grown sheep tend to resemble woolly slugs, only not as smart.
posted by fshgrl at 8:52 PM on October 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


Also goats are bright and active while grown sheep tend to resemble woolly slugs, only not as smart.

I've heard more farm-focused friends talk about the moment with active curious lambs just turn into sheep and how it's heartbreaking. Although more then one had a lamb that got adopted by the dogs and just kind of stayed doggishly lamb-y and clingy which apparently causes lots of confusion. (No THOSE sheep go there, you stay here, no you can't herd them stop it)
posted by The Whelk at 8:56 PM on October 27, 2014 [16 favorites]


*man, rhinos sure look like they're straight out of the Cenozoic

*at times it looked as if he weren't playing with the goat so much as toying with the idea of charging the cameraman.
posted by sourwookie at 9:14 PM on October 27, 2014 [7 favorites]


how does a baby rhino even exist

They are dogs that have survived through to Phase 19 and finally got their power armour.
posted by turbid dahlia at 9:19 PM on October 27, 2014 [18 favorites]


If it was a goat it would have been on top of the rhino at some point in the video.
posted by srboisvert at 9:28 PM on October 27, 2014 [34 favorites]


I ARE UNICORN

I HAS A GRACEFUL
posted by The otter lady at 9:31 PM on October 27, 2014 [50 favorites]


My folks are in Africa right now, and one of their emails today said simply, "I think the rhino is doomed."

People. Let's be better than that, please.
posted by Navelgazer at 9:57 PM on October 27, 2014 [8 favorites]


at times it looked as if he weren't playing with the goat so much as toying with the idea of charging the cameraman.

That was exactly what I kept thinking. I love rhinos and they do seem like they're pals, but I kept reading this as a wary rhino fixated on the person with the camera. All of that head down, ear-flappy stuff seemed like warning signals to me... although never having raised a rhino myself, for all I know that may just be a play-fight thing.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 9:57 PM on October 27, 2014 [6 favorites]


I don't care what anyone says, baby rhinos are adorable!
posted by MissySedai at 10:13 PM on October 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


Thanks for this. I loves me them rhinos, big or small. We'll need a few rhinos at the mefi farm. I'll make a note of that.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 10:21 PM on October 27, 2014 [4 favorites]


Now I'm kind of regretting that I had a rhinoplasty at the same time I had a laminectomy,
posted by twoleftfeet at 11:01 PM on October 27, 2014


Am I the only one who thought the lamb was kind of a show-offy jerk? I'm definitely on team baby rhino.
posted by susiswimmer at 11:07 PM on October 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


how does a baby rhino even exist

Well, remember when daddy and mummy rhino had that silly fight and promised never to fight again?
posted by mattoxic at 11:33 PM on October 27, 2014 [6 favorites]


This is a lamb. Goats have little tails which curl up. Lambs are born with tails, which can be thin and long, or fat like Lammie's tail. Lammie is a Damaraland sheep.
Gertjie the rhino has been stealing my sleep for a few months now. The sheep is there so he'll sleep, and as a playmate.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 11:56 PM on October 27, 2014 [3 favorites]


According to Gertjie's Favourite Things Lammie is in fact a lamb! Of course, perhaps lammie is actually a wolf or even another rhino in disguise.

It's fortunate Gertjie doesn't think he's a goat, since there's not a lot he could safely climb on or headbutt.
posted by Renegade Duck at 1:53 AM on October 28, 2014 [1 favorite]


Yeah, I think baby rhino thinks she's a lamb who will f*ck the paparazzi up if they don't leave her in peace.
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:00 AM on October 28, 2014 [3 favorites]


Pronking? Or square dancing? (God-damn it spell checker, yes pronking is so a real thing. I highly recommend a google image search, by the way.)
posted by Coaticass at 2:25 AM on October 28, 2014 [1 favorite]


yes pronking is so a real thing. I highly recommend a google image search, by the way.

Even better: Video search "pronking"
posted by twoleftfeet at 3:10 AM on October 28, 2014 [2 favorites]


I ARE UNICORN. I HAS A GRACEFUL.

*ahem*
posted by alby at 3:40 AM on October 28, 2014 [3 favorites]


I don't know much about rhinos, but the way it keeps it's head down and facing towards the camera the entire time, it really looks like a defensive thing, not a playful one. The rhino even rushes the camera a few times. Maybe it's the camera and not the cameraperson it is afraid of, though.
posted by DU at 4:00 AM on October 28, 2014 [1 favorite]


That's going to really suck for the lamb/goat when they get a little older and start practicing butting heads.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 5:12 AM on October 28, 2014


Also goats are bright and active while grown sheep tend to resemble woolly slugs, only not as smart.

also the beady little satanic eyes presumably
posted by poffin boffin at 6:23 AM on October 28, 2014


and the relentless pronking
posted by poffin boffin at 6:24 AM on October 28, 2014


Defensive vs playful? Don't forget your roots..."play" is murda and self defense practice. It's still play.
posted by aydeejones at 7:24 AM on October 28, 2014 [1 favorite]


But hopefully these oblivious rhino owners come here and read the Concerns Raised herein. *tries to duck, but quacks instead*
posted by aydeejones at 7:26 AM on October 28, 2014


Note to self : Add Lammie to my 2015 deathpool
posted by CitoyenK at 7:35 AM on October 28, 2014


I particularly enjoyed these YouTube comments toward the top sparked off by an at-home Rhino Whisperer:

Yeah, that Rhino was deff not playing around although it looks cute. His ears are constantly going backwards which is a sign of stress or distrust in other animals like wolves and dogs. He seems content around the goat because he knows it poses no threat to him, but this guy probably saw some shit before he was rescued. He knows humans are dangerous to be around.

(firestorm of corrective and mean comments, followed by reply from the, uh, endangered animal foster people who presumably know what they are doing)

Thank you for your comments. You are correct. Gertjie is not showing signs of aggression, but rather excitement and playfulness. However, it is most certainly a lamb. You can trust us - we work with animals on a daily basis. 
posted by aydeejones at 7:35 AM on October 28, 2014 [4 favorites]


My Google skills are failing me but I caught an Animal Planet Special awhile back about unlikely animal pairings (well it was a freakin' MARATHON) which informed me better than some of the Dog Whisperer shows informing some of the YouTube commenters...

The gist of it was, rhinos are self-conscious in some weird way, and often frustrated and moody and totally languish in captivity (i.e. when parents are killed and baby is rescued) in such a way that they can't ever be released either, until some folks realized that just giving them an animal companion, a totally wildly different animal buddy, gives them a sense of purpose and direction in life. Ahh, cable.
posted by aydeejones at 8:11 AM on October 28, 2014 [8 favorites]


What gets me is that the lamb thinks the rhino is a lamb.

"Common lets run!"
Stops, runs back.
"Hey, why did you stop? Ignore that guy, lets go!"
Runs by again, Rhino does one jump.
"Yeah, that's it, this is fun! Let's go!!"
Rhino stops again, lamb runs by again.
"Whee! Hey, that guy's no fun. Ignore him. Common, I'll race you to the barn!"
Rhino, turns and they both jump and run off.
posted by eye of newt at 8:57 AM on October 28, 2014 [1 favorite]


The rhinos at my local zoo share their enclosure not just with other rhinos but with zebras, which is pretty common in the wild. The rhinos get the benefit of the zebras' large numbers and alertness to predators, the zebras get the rhinos' fierceness, and both are social herd animals.

When they're bored, the rhinos sometimes like to tease the zebras, which is pretty amusing. They seem to like it that they can make the zebras run if they startle them.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:13 AM on October 28, 2014 [2 favorites]


The gist of it was, rhinos are self-conscious in some weird way, and often frustrated and moody and totally languish in captivity ... until some folks realized that just giving them an animal companion, a totally wildly different animal buddy, gives them a sense of purpose and direction in life.

So basically, rhinos are just like people.
posted by roger ackroyd at 9:23 AM on October 28, 2014 [4 favorites]


aydeejones has it right, I think -- it's play aggression, just baby learning how to do rhino things including scaring the shit out of humans. He's got a lot of room to run if he is genuinely stressed.

I seem to recall some metafilter poster talking about rhinos, that they are actually quite friendly and human-oriented in captivity, but that unfortunately a rhino's idea of a nice friendly head butt can smash a keeper against a stall wall so they have to do their scritchings from a well-barricaded distance.
posted by tavella at 9:26 AM on October 28, 2014 [2 favorites]


that is just incredibly cute. I am very, very scared of rhinos, but it seems Gertjie really loves his humans (the snuggle jacket), and his lamb-friend. And maybe rhinos are mostly dangerous because they are so huge and near sighted. Someone told me that both elephants and hippos are far more dangerous. Is this true?
posted by mumimor at 12:53 PM on October 28, 2014 [1 favorite]


Regular hippos are mad dangerous. Also even the tiny variety make the worst cats.
posted by jetlagaddict at 1:29 PM on October 28, 2014 [2 favorites]


I read somewhere that hippos kill more people than any other animal in locations where there are wild hippos.
posted by griphus at 1:33 PM on October 28, 2014 [1 favorite]


So basically, rhinos are just like people.

Heaven help us if anyone decides human parts are "medicine...."
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:07 PM on October 28, 2014 [2 favorites]


http://africageographic.com/blog/an-adorable-friendship-between-lamb-and-baby-rhino/

Here's more about the dynamicly cute duo.

Hippos indeed are more dangerous than rhinos. So are cape buffalo.

Many animals raised as orphans with the hope of release back into the wild are given sheep as companions.

Little G had three other sheep companions but one got ill and died, and the others just failed to bond.

Little G actually likes people. He used to pick up his front foot and kick the door if his room at night when he wanted things.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 7:40 PM on October 28, 2014 [2 favorites]


griphus: depends, are mosquitos animals?
posted by idiopath at 9:50 PM on October 28, 2014


Yeah, my local zoo has two rhinos; one is more sociable and always drifts down to hang with the zebras. The other is more solitary but likes to be with the other rhino or the calmest zebra, says the zebra keeper. (I can tell the rhinos apart, but not the zebras.) They look super-fierce but they are herd animals so they prefer a herd.

On hot days the afternoon is special rhino mud time while the zebras hang in the shade and the rhinos roll in the mud, but otherwise they want to be with the zebras and mostly follow the zebra herd around so they don't get lonely.

They do like their keepers, and apparently know their own names.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 10:55 PM on October 28, 2014 [2 favorites]


Man that title is misleading. "THUD" - I was waiting for the goat to cutely faceplant into the rhino's ass, or the rhino to accidentally knock the lamb sprawling with a clumsy head-swing, or for something absolutely horrifying to happen to the simultaneous-super-position-goat-lamb (or possibly the camera operator?).

I loved this but I'm left feeling disappointed. Also: confused.
posted by Ryvar at 2:11 AM on October 29, 2014


That hoppy hoppy hoppy thing! Other baby rhinos do it too!
posted by vytae at 11:25 AM on October 29, 2014


Apparently our sense that Gertjie is the stodgy one and Lammie is the dynamic one may be off. From the link Katjusa Roquette posted:
Lammie has become a regular fixture at the centre. Wherever there’s Gertjie, there’s Lammie following close behind. While she is very attached to Gertjie, she will not hesitate to move away when Gertjie gets too boisterous for her. She has quickly learned to read his mood and act accordingly.
Reassuring, IMO.
posted by Lexica at 11:26 AM on October 29, 2014


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