African Buffalo Recovery

Are African Buffalo seasonal breeders? Yes , they are and here in Greater Kruger , January  is the month we used to see the arrival of the newborn calves.

However because of the series of drought years that ended four years ago, their numbers had crashed to less than half the pre drought population of approximately 36,000. As a result, up until six months ago, our buffalo sightings were infrequent, albeit slowly increasing. Not that we received any complaints, as the lowly buffalo seems to be at the bottom of the must see list of first time visitors to our safari lodge at Sausage Tree . It is a curious fact that there seems to be little in the way of support for this species in the face of the relentless and prolific trophy hunting that takes place in sub Saharan Africa. We would underline , not here in Olifants West Nature Reserve, where this practice came to a stop several years ago.

The other members of The BIG 5 club attract immensely more popularity than the poor old buffalo. Maybe it’s because subconsciously we regard them as wild cattle, which they are, and the dietary carnivores amongst us have a lifetime of acceptance as to what cattle are here for….

There is a major irony at play here. The longstanding origin and definition of The Big 5 originates from the big game hunting industry and was essentially a very successful marketing ploy, designating the 5 most dangerous animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The underlying irony is that the general consensus amongst hunters is that the older males, aka Dagga Bulls, are the most dangerous of them all. 

Meanwhile back at Sausage Tree Safari Camp , the good news is that we are enjoying many more buffalo sightings , especially of large breeding herds . Last week our guests had a stand out moment, witnessing the birth of a calf , which was the first such sighting here on Olifants West Nature Reserve for a very long time.

Book up now for next January 2025 and you may be lucky enough to see the same but you will be lucky enough to enjoy our 2024 rate being held over for you.