Master of the Herd - African Buffalo

The African buffalo is perhaps the most exciting member of the bovine family. He is sometimes mistakenly called the water buffalo, but he is a far cry from that rather slovenly domestic beast of Asia. The African buffalo is more like a wild, free, fighting bull on a much more massive scale. He is considered by most expert hunters as the most dangerous quarry in Africa. He has a good sense of sight, hearing and smell. He can be very aggressive and when wounded will frequently circle back and wait in ambush for the hunter. Usually, however, the buffalo try to avoid trouble.

They are normally found in herds of 20 to 50, but may travel in groups of several hundred. Almost always they are accompanied by cattle egrets which pick at the insects living with or disturbed by the herd. This scene is a familiar one in the safari country of East Africa. A disturbed master bull and his herd have churned up the dust, then paused for a curious gaze toward the intruder.