Buffalo - Syncerus caffer
This bulky animal is one of the most
dangerous mammals to be found anywhere. Large herds of buffalo occur
on Chief's Island in the Moremi and along the Chobe river near Kasane.
the bufffalo on the Chobe river live under constant stress with
the lions stalking and hunting them on a regular basis. In the Okavango
Detla one should be cautious of buffalo as they can be very dangerous.
Avoid dense bush, thickets and small islands as a lonely old bull
could be in hiding and might object to your intrusion.
Weighing about 700 kg on average,
with much larger individuals reported, the horn span of some mature
bulls is more than a metre in width. It is said that more big game
hunters have been killed by the cape buffalo than by any other African
animal.
Cape buffalo prefer areas of open pasture, close to jungle and swampy
ground where they can wallow.
Other than man, they have few natural predators and are capable
of defending themselves against (and sometimes killing) lions, who
will attack only old, sick, or immature buffaloes. The leopard is
a threat only to newborn calves.
All attempts to turn the cape buffalo into a “useful”
animal by crossbreeding it with domestic cattle have so far proved
futile. Excessive hunting has reduced wild populations, and much
of the water buffalo’s habitat has been converted to agricultural
use.
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