Headingley Rhino (Tourist Attraction)
The Headingley Rhino is a popular tourist attraction located on a window of the top floor of 127 Otley Road, Headingley, Leeds. The attraction consists of a strange red rhino sculpture on the windowsill of the building. The exact date of the introduction of the rhino to the building is currently unknown, although the first recorded sighting was on the 13th of August, 2018.[1]
History[edit]
It is estimated that the rhino was introduced to the building around late summer 2018, as that was when the first sightings were recorded. The first sighting was by Gordon Selfiling, who stated when interviewed by East Leeds FM,"It was the strangest thing. I was heading to the match [...] at the stadium and I just saw this rhino sitting on the windowsill. At first, I thought it was a way of supporting the local team, but the red colour put me off. There was something about its stare, it was like it was telling me to tell my friends about it."[2]
Gordon then posted on his social media accounts about the strange encounter using the hashtag #RhinoStare. As his followers saw his posts, more people came to see the strange phenomenon. By the end of the week, the average amount of visitors was up to 12–20 at any given time. As the trend eventually calmed down, the average amount of visitors went down to around 6. Unfortunately, he had to delete his account in fall 2018 due to a hacking incident.[1]
Anomalies[edit]
Occasionally, the rhino can be seen with a smaller, blue rhino. The blue rhino will often stay for a week and then make a disappearance, not to show up for another few months. Other times, the red rhino will not be seen for days upon end, to return once again.[3]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Williams, Joe (2018). An Otley Run. Half Moon Books. ISBN 978-0-9957642-9-3. Search this book on
- ↑ Macaluso, Giulio; Small, Morris, East Leeds FM (2020) The Headingley Rhino and the Strange Tourism Draw (Radio Documentary)
- ↑ Smith, Alice (2018) See My Mystery: How Not Giving Backstory Can Popularize Anything
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