Jean-Pierre Hallet was a former Belgian colonial official who wrote a couple of corking best-sellers (Congo Kitabu, Pygmy Kitabu) back in the 1960s.. He was a huge man:I met him once, when he gave a lecture at Rutgers.
Hallet’s theme was that any animal, if it receives enough love and kindness, could be trained to friendship with a human. To prove it, he tamed a rhinoceros. He used to ride it around.
There really is so much that love can do! Give it a chance.
See? Easy as pie!
Jean-Pierre Hallet, a one-time Belgian colonial official in Central Africa, believed that just about any animal could be won over with kindness and patience. To prove it, he tamed an adult rhinoceros. He named it Pierrot and used to ride on its back. There was also a ball game they could play together. We’ve seen several videos of baby rhinos playing with humans: maybe they don’t grow out of the urge to play.
Hallet wrote some best-selling books in the 1960s, and I had the pleasure of meeting him. He was a very big man. Maybe the rhino should’ve been riding him.
(Suggested by “Unknowable.” His cat’s a fan.)
This nice couple has a pet cougar named Messi. That’s him lounging on the couch. He also has his own cougar bed.
Jean-Pierre Hallet said just about any animal responds to love and affection; and to prove it, he tamed an adult rhino and used to ride around on its back.
Messi acts like a great big pussycat. It’s very nice that he hasn’t eaten either of his humans yet.
Oh, well. Iguanas are supposed to be fierce and grumpy, but mine was just a big green pussycat.
I remember when rhinos were described as animated tanks that’d attack anything that crossed their path: practically brainless, not nice at all.
That was all bunk.
Jean-Pierre Hallet (Animal Kitabu) said practically any animal will respond to kindness and affection. And to prove it, he tamed a full-grown rhino named Pierrot. He used to ride on Pierrot’s back.
So the cat found this orphaned rhino calf a soft touch. As you can see.
You don’t generally think of a rhinoceros frolicking–but hey, babies are babies. This little guy is playing with his zookeeper. His momma is just a few yards away–a situation which, in the wild, might be fraught with danger for the keeper.
For the longest time rhinos were portrayed as bad-tempered, wantonly aggressive animals. But in the 1950s Jean-Pierre Hallet tamed an adult male rhino and used to ride around on him. Love and kindness did the trick, he said. It usually does.