Two families say they feared for their lives after a pair of fighting white rhinos smashed into their vehicles at West Midlands Safari Park, causing around £12,000 worth of damage. The incident occurred on Sunday, August 9, when the 1.5-tonne animals collided with cars belonging to Zoe Farmer, 53, and Charlotte Baker, 24, leaving children screaming in terror.
Zoe's £19,000 Dacia Sandero Stepway sustained considerable damage to its front and side, while Charlotte's £21,000 BMW 3 Series incurred £6,000 worth of damage. Charlotte's husband was taken to hospital with back pain following the ordeal. Both mothers said they saw no park rangers during the incident and had to continue driving through the park in their damaged cars.
Families describe terrifying encounter
Zoe, a school nurse assistant from Accrington, Lancashire, was visiting with her husband and four-year-old grandson. She described the moment the rhinos charged: "It was absolutely terrifying. We were sitting in a line of traffic through the rhino part when we heard what sounded like a massive car crash. That was the rhino smashing into Charlotte's car and then we watched as these two rhinos began to fight right in front of us."
"One was being more aggressive and the other was trying to get away. We didn't know what to do, whether to drive or stay put so we just stayed where we were. The next thing, the more aggressive rhino just charges at the front of the car. The two animals carried on fighting around the side of the car - and the rest of the damage was done by one pushing the other into the car."
Zoe added: "The car was swaying and I thought we were going to die. I thought it was going to tip over and my grandson was out of his car seat as I had him on my lap to see the animals. All I was thinking about was his safety. I was screaming but trying to control myself for his sake. It was scary, very scary."
Lack of ranger response criticised
Neither family received immediate help from park staff. Zoe said: "Nobody came to help, there wasn't a park warden in sight, so we had to carry on with our damaged car while really shaken up. We drove around the rest of the park for around 15 minutes before a ranger eventually came up to us. They escorted us to the car park and didn't offer anything in the way of an apology - they just said 'we're not liable' and we could drive around again for free if we wanted."
Charlotte, from Tipton, was in the park with her 24-year-old husband and their 18-month-old child. She recounted: "The rhino enclosure is the first thing you go into. We were sat there stationary and then out of nowhere there the biggest thud hit us from behind. Two rhinos had started to fight and smashed into the back of our car, lunging us forward. It felt like we had been hit by a car. I thought a car had lost control and hit us. We could have died."
Charlotte also criticised the response: "The rangers did nothing to stop it and continued to let customers into it, so it could have carried on. My husband has had to go to hospital with back pain. He has had to take a day off work. I was crying and my baby was screaming, it was terrifying. There were no rangers about so visitors will have to essentially defend themselves from any rhino if it happens again in future."
Compensation offer called 'an insult'
Both families said the safari park later offered them complimentary tickets as compensation, which they described as "an insult". Zoe said: "All we got from it was a can of Sprite. We wrote to complain and have been offered free tickets in way of compensation which felt a bit of an insult. But I'm not bothered about the compensation, it's about stopping these rhinos from killing somebody. These are powerful animals, the horns could easily pierce through a car and a child or a person."
Charlotte, who works in body repairs, added: "I show more empathy to our customers who have scratches on their cars. I understand there are signs that tell us we enter at our own risk but I question why, if this has happened before, are the White Rhinos allowed to free roam. My husband was in hospital and they haven't even given us a courtesy call. The rangers did not seem to know what to do to stop the incident, they did not stop cars coming in, and to top it off we had to drive back through the drive past the rhinos to get out."
A spokesman for West Midlands Safari Park said: "We are aware of an incident involving three guest vehicles and the white rhinos in the Safari Drive on the morning of Sunday, August 9. An altercation between two rhinos resulted in collisions with the vehicles. The safety and welfare of our guests and animals is our highest priority and keepers in patrol vehicles are always in close attendance to monitor all animal and vehicle movements. Our keepers responded immediately to the altercation, checked all guests, and offered assistance to those involved throughout the morning. The rhinos quickly settled and remained under close observation."
The spokesman added: "We are happy our rangers acted swiftly and appropriately and we have since had emails from other guests who witnessed the incident, praising their swift actions. We kindly remind guests both online and through onsite signage that they are entering an environment where animals are free-roaming and they do so at their own risk. All the guests will be contacted ASAP by our Guest Relations team and we will require their insurance companies to get in touch with us, so this is all being taken very seriously and appropriate compensation will be discussed."
