By In a scene that looked more like slapstick theater than zoology, a 13-kilogram Chinese muntjac deer squared up to a 1.7-tonne female rhinoceros this week, turning a snowy enclosure at Wrocław Zoo into the internet’s latest viral spectacle.
Video from the zoo shows the pint-sized deer—identified by keepers as a male named Tata—repeatedly charging, headbutting, and even chasing the far larger rhino, Maruska (sometimes spelled Maruśka). The size disparity is staggering: the rhino outweighs the deer by roughly 130 times. Yet the exchange never turns dangerous. Maruska responds with gentle head shakes, small hops, and what appears to be mild curiosity rather than aggression.
NEW: Small deer takes on a 1.7-ton rhino at the Wroclaw Zoo in Poland.
The deer was seen headbutting the rhino, named Maruska, before chasing it around in the enclosure.
"His partner is in heat, and the bachelor is pumping with testosterone. He needs to release his energy and… pic.twitter.com/WkdMlOf9Kh
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 9, 2026
Zoo officials attributed the unlikely bravado to seasonal biology, explaining the moment in a statement shared on social media and reported by multiple outlets:
“His partner is in heat, and the bachelor is pumping with testosterone. He needs to release his energy and show who’s boss – even if his sparring partner weighs 1.7 tons. Who would have thought that such a warrior could be hidden in that tiny body?”
Zookeeper Maciej Okupnik downplayed any concern, stressing that the encounter was more performance than peril. “This time, Tata got a little carried away by his hormones, but he wasn’t really taking any risks,” Okupnik told reporters. “It’s more like theatre, and you can see Maruska is having a little fun.”
The clip, first shared by the zoo and then amplified across social media, exploded in reach after being reposted by accounts including conservative commentator Collin Rugg, whose post drew more than 1.4 million views in under 24 hours. Commenters quickly turned the matchup into meme fodder, dubbing it a real-life “David vs. Goliath” and spinning tongue-in-cheek political analogies alongside straightforward praise for the wholesome absurdity of the moment.
Chinese muntjacs—sometimes called “barking deer” for their distinctive calls—are small but famously territorial, a trait on full display in the frozen Polish standoff. Zoo staff, for their part, lauded Maruska’s composure, joking that the rhino showed “the patience of a saint.”
