# Do rhinos really put out forest fires? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 20, 2005, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-rhinos-really-put-out-forest-fires/304738 "2005-05-20T14:34:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-rhinos-really-put-out-forest-fires/304738/1 "2005-05-20T14:34:46Z")
…as asserted in _The Gods Must Be Crazy_? Well, do they? ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-rhinos-really-put-out-forest-fires/304738/2 "2005-05-20T14:37:37Z")
From the Forum Index the title reads “Do rhinos really put out…” …and I have to say, I really do not want to know the answer. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Ponster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponster/32/17081_2.png) [@Ponster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponster)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-rhinos-really-put-out-forest-fires/304738/3 "2005-05-20T14:50:41Z")
I saw it on the Simpsosn. Not a lot of the web expect for[forum conversation](http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=6578) . But granted it’s not the cite of the year. > [@](#): > > here are quite a number of legends about the rhinoceros stamping out fire. The story seems to have been common in Malaysia and Burma. > > This type of rhinoceros even had a special name in Malay, ‘badak api’, where badak means rhinoceros and api means fire. The animal would come when a fire is lit in the forest and stamp it out. > > If there is or can be any truth in the legend, it would be hard to decide. Suffice it to say that there has been no sighting of this phenomenon in recent history. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-rhinos-really-put-out-forest-fires/304738/4 "2005-05-20T14:57:29Z")
That’s it. Rhinos and penguins have got to be the coolest animals _ever_! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-rhinos-really-put-out-forest-fires/304738/5 "2005-05-20T15:16:29Z")
“Remember, only _you_ (and rhinos) can prevent Forest Fires!” ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-rhinos-really-put-out-forest-fires/304738/6 "2005-05-20T15:32:16Z")
> [@](#): > > …If there is or can be any truth in the legend, it would be hard to decide. Suffice it to say that there has been no sighting of this phenomenon in recent history… - - - Partly due to the reason that it takes a seriously-_huge_ set of brass balls to go out and play with rhinos… … and anyway, the bushman getting his fire stamped out is still one of the funniest scenes in the movie. 😛 ~ ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-rhinos-really-put-out-forest-fires/304738/7 "2005-05-20T15:34:34Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > “Remember, only _you_ (and rhinos) can prevent Forest Fires!” Now you’re just being silly, rhinos don’t prevent forest fires, just put them out once they have begun. :wally