Buffalo
The African, or Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is as rugged a safari emblem as you’ll find anywhere in the bush today: staunch, stocky, and rough looking, this bovine creature is a solid and impressive sighting to make on any given safari.
Hardy and robust, the Cape Buffalo is one of the members of the famous
Big Five, and, next to the rhino and elephant, is the third largest of the group. Growing in sizes of up to 1.7 metres high and 3.4 metres long, the African Buffalo can weigh between 500 and 900 kg in the wild - a truly imposing sight when it’s occupying the stretch of road down which you’re attempting to drive! Physically, buffalo are “front-heavy”, in that they are extremely muscled around the fore-shoulders, neck, chest and head. Owing to this fact, they have developed hooves which are notably wider on their front legs than on the rear - indicative of a need for more support in the front of their bodies. Coat colouring can range from dark hues of brown and black in savanna buffalo, to brown or ochre colours in forest dwelling buffalo.
Most distinct about any Cape Buffalo are its impressive horns. Splayed out across the forehead of an African Buffalo male is the fused “crown” formed between its horns, an incredibly hard helmet which protrudes notably from the bull’s forehead. Between the horns themselves can be found a distance of up to a meter, and young bulls from the ages of five to six years begin to fully form the "shield". Buffalo cow exhibit smaller horns, and typically no fused plate whatsoever.
Buffalo function as members of hers, groups which themselves shift in size depending on area size, vegetation, and other contributing factors. Male buffalo will, during the summer months, often be found in exclusive “bachelor” herds, splitting off from the females and calves, to return during the wetter winter conditions for mating. Much of the adult bulls’ relationships with his peers, or with younger bulls, relies on sparring: whether in play or to iron out conflict, this is a show of dominance. Bulls approach each other with heads and horns lowered, launching into twisting, grappling movements with these horns and their fused skull plates. Most of the time, sparring is for play - actual conflict is generally violent and aggressive, but considered very rare.
The Cape Buffalo has garnered nicknames indicating the danger in hunting or tracking it, such as "Black Death" or "widowmaker", in Africa - charging and gorging around 200 people a year with their impressive bulk and horns. Wounded or dying animals have also been reported among big game hunters as ambushing them in the thick veld.
The Cape Buffalo is notorious for another physical trait - its susceptibility to numerous dangerous diseases, including Bovine tuberculosis, Corridor disease and Foot and Mouth disease. As a result of the pathology of many of these diseases, buffalo populations are often fenced in or cordoned off, to prevent intermingling with other herds, as diseases predominantly remain dormant within the herd for as long as the health of these bovine remains strong. “Disease free" herds have been bred in certain areas of the park, and are considered extremely valuable by rangers and breeders.