Meet the Buffalo
The Cape or African buffalo may, on appearance, present itself as just another bovine. However, its unpredictable mood has given rise to nicknames such as “the widowmaker” and “the Black Death”. No wonder it has never been domesticated.
The specie has a repertoire of sounds it uses to signal a variety of actions and intentions. When a big herd—numbering up to one thousand animals and more—are grazing, they emit sounds like bellows, honks, and grunts. Individual animals make longer calls, as much as 20 times in a minute, when seeking water. Low-pitched calls at intervals indicate to the herd that they should move while creaking sounds tell them to change direction. Calves in distress will utter a high pitch call.
Healthy populations of buffalo continue to thrive in protected national parks and private reserves in East and Southern Africa. The continent’s population is estimated at roughly 400,000.
