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Walking with Rhinos in Matobo

Walking With Rhinos in Matobo Game Reserve, near Bulawayo in Zimbabwe

Walking with Rhinos in Matobo

Walking with Rhinos in Matobo, near Bulawayo in Zimbabwe

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I’ll never forget the day we hiked through the Matobo Hills with veteran guide Ian Harmer, and encountering rhinos while on foot.
It was one of those hot summer days when the air hangs heavy and the dry landscape stretches out in washed out shades of gold and granite. Nothing moved and the bush felt suspended in anticipation of a late afternoon thunderstorm.

Ian had the unmistakable air and easy confidence of a life shaped by the bush, entirely at one with this ancient landscape. We’d spent the morning listening to his stories about the Motopo’s history, the people, its rock art, and the rhinos that has shaped his life’s work.

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Walking with Rhinos in Matobo, near Bulawayo in Zimbabwe

I’ll never forget the day we hiked through the Matobo Hills with veteran guide Ian Harmer, and encountering rhinos while on foot.
It was one of those hot summer days when the air hangs heavy and the dry landscape stretches out in washed out shades of gold and granite. Nothing moved and the bush felt suspended in anticipation of a late afternoon thunderstorm.

Ian had the unmistakable air and easy confidence of a life shaped by the bush, entirely at one with this ancient landscape. We’d spent the morning listening to his stories about the Motopo’s history, the people, its rock art, and the rhinos that has shaped his life’s work.

Besides us, the only thing breaking the silence was the buzzing of the insects and the rattle and rumbling of the Land Rover as we wound our way through colossal boulders worn smooth by time, stacked, and balanced in impossible formations like ancient sentinels watching over the landscape.

We watched a Jacana picking its way through the water lilies in a dam for a while then meandered down into a valley where Ian pulled over and said we could stretch our legs. As he led the way, I followed close behind, Tracey as always lagging behind as she was fussing with her camera, she almost fell over me as Ian stopped suddenly, dropping into a crouch, signalling for us to be quiet and pointing ahead. A sight I will treasure forever. There, in the shade of a thicket of acacia and mopane trees, stood a rhino mother and her young bull.

Creeping closer felt like stepping into another world.

When you meet a rhino in the wild, it feels as if the landscape itself acknowledges the moment. Entering their world on foot is a powerful, primeval sense. A presence that somehow captures the moment, the heat, the dust, their calm, relaxed stance allowing us to experience the moment without fear, only awe but which also made me realise just how vulnerable they are.

It's rare, unforgettable encounters like this that I bring back to my studio, shaping them into artworks that express the wonder of the moment as if the viewer is right there in the bush with me, experiencing the primal sense of our timeless African wildlife, the heat and the dust captured in every brushstroke.

A reminder of what’s at stake, and how few of these incredible creatures still survive in the wild despite the efforts of global conservation organisations.
Our African wildlife are a precious gift to humanity, and we need to work together educating and inspiring others to care enough to act so that together we can secure their survival for generations to come.

#WorldRhinoDay #RhinoConservation #PeterPharoah #ArtForWildlife #SaveOurRhinos