# Will a Rhinoceros Actually Stamp Out a Fire? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 11, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-rhinoceros-actually-stamp-out-a-fire/339525 "2006-01-11T18:42:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-rhinoceros-actually-stamp-out-a-fire/339525/1 "2006-01-11T18:42:28Z")
Is this a myth or do these wacky guys really get upset by fire and try to stamp it out? ---
**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:** [January 11, 2006, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-rhinoceros-actually-stamp-out-a-fire/339525/2 "2006-01-11T18:44:34Z")
“Remember, kids, only you can stomp out forest fires” – Smokey the Rhino ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-rhinoceros-actually-stamp-out-a-fire/339525/3 "2006-01-11T18:45:12Z")
I presume that you are referring to the scene in _The Gods Must Be Crazy._ I have never heard any such thing. I assume it was just made up for the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-rhinoceros-actually-stamp-out-a-fire/339525/4 "2006-01-11T18:51:06Z")
I thought it was made up on _The Simpsons_, I guess the _Gods Must Be Crazy_ reference is earlier (and perhaps was what was being spoofed, which I didn’t get at the time). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-rhinoceros-actually-stamp-out-a-fire/339525/5 "2006-01-11T19:13:25Z")
From _The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)_ Narrator: The rhino is the self-appointed fire-prevention officer. When he sees a fire, he rushes in and stamps it out. Kate Thompson: Do you work here in Botswana? Andrew Steyn: Yes, I-- Yes. Yes. Kate Thompson: And what do you do? Andrew Steyn: I-- I collect manure. I– Kate Thompson: Get away from-- Get away from-- Leave me alone! AndrewSteyn: Miss Thompson? - Miss Thompson? - Miss Thompson! Miss Thompson! Oh, it’s all right. He’s gone. Kate Thompson: Who’s gone? Andrew Steyn: The rhinoceros. Kate Thompson: What bloody rhinoceros? Andrew Steyn: Didn’t you see him? He stamped out the fire. Kate Thompson: You stamped out the fire. I saw you. Andrew Steyn: No, he did it first. I didn’t want him to come back, so… -But didn’t you see? Kate Thompson: Keep away. Andrew Steyn: Miss Thompson, if you make a fire, and a rhinoceros sees it… …he comes and stamps it out. Rhinos do that. It’s a most interesting phenomenon. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-rhinoceros-actually-stamp-out-a-fire/339525/6 "2006-01-11T19:26:42Z")
Well, [these](http://www.sosrhino.org/knowledge/faq.php) guys seem to know a lot about rhinos and they call BS: > [@](#): > > Q: Do rhinos really stomp out fires? > > ``` > A:There 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. > > Of course, the rhinoceros in South East Asia has become very rare is hardly ever met nowadays, as it keeps to the deep forest and high mountains. ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-rhinoceros-actually-stamp-out-a-fire/339525/7 "2006-01-11T19:32:01Z")
They just forgot to include the part about stomping out all the white English hunters crouched around the fire. Extinguishing the fire was merely a side effect. -rainy ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-rhinoceros-actually-stamp-out-a-fire/339525/8 "2006-01-11T20:41:09Z")
I suppose they could find some rhinos in the wild, start a fire and see what happens. 😛 Research, man! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-rhinoceros-actually-stamp-out-a-fire/339525/9 "2006-01-11T20:52:33Z")
I hear there’s a Darwin grant waiting out there for people wanting to do close-up research with Rhinos… ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-rhinoceros-actually-stamp-out-a-fire/339525/10 "2006-01-11T20:59:27Z")
Q. Why do ducks have flat feet? A. To put out forest fires. Q. Why do elephants have flat feet? A. To put out flaming Ducks. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-rhinoceros-actually-stamp-out-a-fire/339525/11 "2006-01-11T21:00:11Z")
I just saw that part of _The Gods Must Be Crazy_ recently. (The Antichrist winching itself into the tree; brilliant!) They show a rhinocerous walking to the campsite and stomping around in the fire for a couple seconds. If that’s not natural rhino behavior, it would be interesting to find out how they did it.[sup]\*[/sup] Can you train a rhinocerous? - Camera trickery, quick editing, or two people in a rhino suit[sup]+[/sup]; it’s probably something pretty mundane. Still a good movie, though. - I know what I want my next Halloween costume to be. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-rhinoceros-actually-stamp-out-a-fire/339525/12 "2006-01-11T21:01:02Z")
Quote: "Of course, the rhinoceros in South East Asia has become very rare is hardly ever met nowadays, as it keeps to the deep forest and high mountains. " Stamping out fires might, perhaps, BE the reason they’re very rare! A word tot he wise… ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-rhinoceros-actually-stamp-out-a-fire/339525/13 "2006-01-11T23:29:17Z")
Fike made a [Rhino fire alarm panel](http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:vZLv8BY-oJsJ:www.fike.com/spanish/products/fire_detection.html+fike+rhino&hl=en) at one time. That’s a cached link, the system doesn’t show up on the current site. Note the Rhino logo. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-rhinoceros-actually-stamp-out-a-fire/339525/14 "2006-01-11T23:57:54Z")
> [@Robot Arm](#): > > - Camera trickery, quick editing, or two people in a rhino suit[sup]+[/sup]; it’s probably something pretty mundane. Still a good movie, though. It’s been a very long time since I saw the movie, but as I recall the shot of the rhino actually stomping on the fire was clearly two guys in a rhino suit. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-rhinoceros-actually-stamp-out-a-fire/339525/15 "2006-01-12T01:51:48Z")
In the event that a rhino ever joins my volunteer fire company, I’ll be sure to post to this thread. 😉