I'm periodically questioned on the severity of the shock received from an electric fence and what would be the worst situation to receive an electric fence shock.

I can only relate to you my worst experience involving a completed electric fence. This involved an installation carried out on a Zimbabwe game ranch where the customer wanted his herd of white rhino to have access to a reservoir  on his boundary but not to be able to swim across to the neighbour - the cost of hiring a helicopter to bring them back would be substantial (horses or foot herding is not an option)

We decided to use a purpose built fibreglass float system with two live wires tensioned across two points of the reservoir so the wires would be 12 and 25cm above the water being kept out of the water by the floats. Having never come across this requirement it was a stab in the dark as to whether it would work.

On completion I went into the water and followed the wires just to make sure they remained a suitable distance above water and generally checking it. Whilst in the middle my dear brother decided it would be good humour to switch the fence on and see what happened. Needless to say I got a shock that I've never felt again considering I was totally immersed in water. One thing it did make me realise was that the rhino would definitely feel the effect of the electric shock.

The rhino were not released into the area immediately as we wanted to test with other livestock so released some horses. Unfortunately they were not seen to attempt a crossing so the customer took the bull by the horns and opened the area up to the rhino. To date the rhino have not crossed the reservoir but saying that they have not been seen to try so perhaps the whole exercise was not required in the first place.