One can often find old, cast-out male Cape buffaloes, hanging around the camps. Sometimes they are alone, sometimes there are two or three. They are sad creatures, clearly lonely, and its hard to understand, because buffaloes are very community-oriented, moving around in large packs and fiercely protecting their young and each other from the ever-present predators. So, why do their communities kick them out when they become old, and clearly no longer a threat to the rising young bulls?
This guy, known locally as “The Brigadier”, was often there to greet us when exited Rekero Camp, for our early-morning game drives. Notwithstanding their apparently placid nature, buffalo can be unpredictably dangerous. Unlike their Asian counterparts, these animals have never been domesticated.