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I reviewed my photos from my Jan trip. This herd of buffalo was also near the Bangu waterhole. This young bull also had a nice set of horns.

Holy smoke! If there were buffalo poachers and not just rhino/ivory poachers, these guys would be in serious trouble! They are gonna be really big boy if they manage to stay alive!! Some good genes floating around there it seems.

adw - man, that's what I call a buff ! !

Hi All, I have heard countless accounts of people being charged by buffalo , but has anyone actually been hit / hurt by one? Never waited around after reversing for kms to find out what would happen. Aslo is it true that the buffalo is the only one of the big 5 that does not "mock" charge, they say if it comes you run ?

Plus minus 2 years ago, two families (husbands and wifes) were on a day trail in Mountain Zebra Park Cradock. The buffalo charged and the one husband was fatally injured. The park has since made arrangements for a guard with a gun to accompany people

Thanks Bri,

I remember that incident, but I meant has any one being hit whilst in a vehicle ?

I thought you would like to read this article on an attach this week by a buffalo.

http://www.looklocal.co.za/looklocal/co ... by-buffalo

Jock, thank you for that info as well - I really do not want to know about walking trails or people on foot - I would like to know about the car waiting for a 200+ strong herd crossing the road and one rogue bull starts charging at the car - I have been charged by one in my vehicle near Croc Bridge on a dirt road - I came up to a hairpin bend in the road and could see a lot of buffalo at the bend, but I could not see if they were in the road around the bend at all, so I inched closer - I am talking still about 20 metres away, when I suddenly heard snorting and a buffalo came charging at us from behind a bush - did not even know he was there - I managed to reverse fast enough and turn around - So what I actually want to know is , if I stayed stationery would he have continued charging at my car and has this happened to anyone ?

I read on this forum about 3 yrs ago of an apparently docile buffalo colliding with a Sanparks game viewing vehicle when a part of the widespread heard were frightened for an unknown reason .
I suspect most buffalo collisions with a vehicle would be as a result of the animal fleeing due to being frightened as herd buffalo are not aggressive towards people on foot , though single males and old males in small groups are .

An interesting topic and I remembered a thin book I have written by an early explorer / cine photographer of the park C P De Leeuw Beyers. After scratching around I found this book and in it is a story of a motorist in the early sixties whose small car was attacked by a buffalo bull on the then main road from Malelane to Skukuza (now the S114). The story goes that there was a herd of buffalo and the motorist stopped to watch them when a bull came running out of the bushes and hit the car door and then ran off. The incident was reported to the rangers at Skukuza.
Apart from this story there are several other stories with photographs of kills, the death of the Skukuza Postmaster who went fishing in the Sabie river and was killed by a crocodile etc.

I bought three of his books in the early seventies and they make interesting reading. However I can only find two of these books. Maybe some other forumite also has access to these books.

In my own experience I have not been charged by any buffalo and I have always felt at ease with them whilst in the confines of my vehicle.

Never had any problem with them in a herd. Had one lonely bull charge but I got away long before he reached the road.
I normaly drive through a herd if it takes too long for them to cross. No problems. They will come closer to have a sniff but I normaly don't take that change.

A big heard might be a problem if lions approach from the other side. They don't run around bushes, they go straight through them. Will probably try the same with a vehicle.

We have never had a charge, but we have had a large male buffalo in a herd, walking toward us very purposefully!!!

We reversed slowly, in case he charged, but eventually after the main herd had gone off into the bush, the large male followed them.

It seemed to us as though he was protecting the herd, although of course, I may be completely wrong in thinking this!!

Have seen lots of buffs and never had any problems, even the night of the Biyamiti stand off,where lions & buffs fought for the road I was on. A lion or four beat a very hasty retreat, but the buffs were not bothered by the cars.

I've never even considered that buffs would purposely charge a vehicle. I suppose it *could* happen, but would be outside the norm.

(I've been charged in a vehicle by an American Bison, but only once, and it was mating season so his temper was up )

Buffalo in big herds are very docile during the day. It is a great experience to park in the middle of the heard and allow them to walk past you on all sides.

At night, and a small bachelor group ... it might be wise to give them some space.