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Muntjac Deer Faces Down Rhino at Poland's Wroclaw Zoo in Viral Video

The zoo attributes the brief clash to mating-season hormones.

Overview

  • A caretaker’s Jan. 8 post from Wroclaw Zoo shows Mundzak, a Chinese muntjac deer, squaring off with Maruska the rhinoceros inside their shared enclosure.
  • The clip drew millions of views across Instagram and Facebook, with the zoo noting one post surpassed 12 million views.
  • Footage shows the deer delivering head-butts and briefly chasing the much larger rhino, and the zoo characterized the encounter as harmless.
  • A Jan. 10 follow-up video shows the animals peacefully eating hay together as the zoo reiterated they have cohabited for years with separate sleeping areas and a common yard.
  • Coverage highlighted the stark size difference, reporting the deer at about 50 pounds versus a roughly 1.7-ton rhino, and keepers praised the rhino’s patience.