African Buffalo

(Syncerus caffer)

The African Buffalo is generally called a Cape Buffalo in South Africa where I took this pic. When you travel there, you will repeatedly hear the phrase “The Big Five”. It used to refer to the five most dangerous big game animals for hunting, but now it has been transferred to the tourists as a top five list. The other four are the Lion, Leopard, Elephant, and Rhino. And then there’s the African Buffalo. Are they dangerous? Well, you wouldn’t want to get caught on the wrong end of those powerful horns. If you’ve ever seen a video of a Cape Buffalo tossing a lion into the air, then you’ll know they are not to be trifled with.

Here’s a little video clip I shot of a Cape Buffalo in Kruger. It’s nothing as dramatic as a lion attack. In fact it is just a pair of Ox-peckers (birds) picking the nose of a somewhat annoyed Cape Buffalo. For some reason it has received tons of views on youtube. Warning: there’s a bit of my cursing in the background so if you don’t like that kind of thing, please turn down the sound!

Photo: Kruger National Park, South Africa