As it gets drier, big buffalo herds move to the vicinity of water and this is the best time to do those breathtaking walks up to the herds. Staying a safe distance of course, you can enjoying them without them having the slightest knowledge of your presence. Obviously big herds will be less naive as compared to animals of the same species wandering alone.
As the buffalo herds move from place to place in search of water and pasture, old bulls often can't keep up the pace and are forced to stay back, either alone or in small bachelor groups. In normal circumstances, meeting a lone buffalo bull could mean you are meeting one of the meanest things in the bush.
I have had several instances where these bulls run after the vehicle, and in one instance nearly hit its target. We were having a leisurely evening game drive when we saw a lone bull ahead of us. He was grazing on the river bank and seeing us, he ran into some thicket. We kept driving and when we came to ten metres from the bush, he burst out without any warning. My instinct made me press the accelerator harder and we went straight past him. He did not stop but kept running, then stopped. Everyone in the vehicle had that sigh of relief that he wasn't coming again.
It doesn't happen often, being shaken by these majestic bulls, but as we humans have moods they sometimes have a very bad mood.
Picture by Jackson Shirima
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