Huge

At the time we visited this game reserve, just south of Harare, it still was called by its original name, Lake McIlwaine. We had the place to ourselves, driving about on its narrow dirt tracks in a small rental car. This was our first encounter with the White Rhinoceros. We would see them again at Hwange Nat'l Park, but this first encounter at L. McIlwaine is the one most vividly imprinted in my memory. As the animals wandered over to our side of the grassy field, then crossed the dirt track, not far from the front of our car, we could see how huge they were. White Rhinoceros, at the shoulder, can be up to 80 inches tall; and the animal can weigh up to nearly 8000 lbs. Unlike the Black Rhinoceros in the Ngorongioro crater, these animals seemed uninterested in us and showed no signs of curiosity or aggression.

For White Rhinoceros dimensions see Haltenorth & Diller, Mammals of Africa including Madagascar, Collins, London, 1980.