FOR THE hunter, the Cape buffalo is arguably the most compelling of Africa’s ‘Big Five’ animals. Huge, black as cast iron, with hulking neck and shoulders, his ruggedly gnarled boss and deadly hooked horns give him a uniquely gladiatorial appearance. His menacing stance and baleful stare silently warn, “Don’t mess with me, little man…” Add to this his notoriety as Africa’s most dangerous when wounded, and you have an enthralling quarry.
I have long believed the buffalo to be the beast most symbolic of Africa. The lion was once known as the ‘king of beasts’ but that was an ancient title referring to Asian lions (which, incidentally, still occur in parts of India). Logically, the elephant is king of beasts; a giant tusker is certainly a regal animal and hugely impressive when angry, but mostly, he just wants to doze peacefully under a tree. The buffalo is different. Historically, the Dark Continent is portrayed, rightly or wrongly, as a forbidding, violent and unforgiving land, and if that be the case, the buffalo best symbolises it.
In addition, the Cape buffalo is the most hunted of the Big Five due to being more numerous, widespread and
