It is known that this herbivore has caused more victims among its natural enemies – including humans – than any other wild beast, apparently more aggressive and uncontrollable.    

For European and American hunters in the search of adventurous excitement in Africa, the buffalo has always constituted a sought after piece. If the hunter does not succeed in killing the buffalo with its first shot, its bound tracking becomes extremely dangerous. The wounded buffalo retreats into the most impenetrable bushes and always tries to surround the hunter to attack him from the back in a place where visibility and movements are limited.    

When loading, the wild beast, which can weigh up to a ton, advances in a straight line, breaking through the bushes along the way. In comparison to bulls, the buffalo always keeps its head and snout up, so as not to lose the smell of the victim. His acute hearing and keen eyesight complete the aggressor’s weapons, along with an unexpected agility in the beast’s volume. Its horns, extremely massive, form a helmet on top of its forehead, which then curve down and unto the side into two lateral sharp points. It takes just a simple head bump with its central shield to kill a human. But the buffalo is used to picking on its enemies and stepping on them after betting them down. Moreover, it is said that with its tongue, rough as sandpaper, it may tear the skin and muscles of its victim.    

After this description, we would think that the buffalo is a hateful being and worthy of the most ruthless persecution. Not at all, because this peaceful bovine only attacks when it is harassed, and behaves, in general, as a harmless and timid creature.    

It was in a hot morning in the Great Rift Trench that we were filming white pelicans by the side of the lake when we came along half a dozen of the great male buffalos rolling around a muddy swamp.    

Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente

Instructions: Press one of the buttons with the letters a, b, c. Put the correct letter in red.

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