Buffalo - Syncerus caffer

This bulky animal is one of the most dangerous mammals to be found anywhere. Large herds of buffalo occur on Chief's Island in the Moremi and along the Chobe river near Kasane. the bufffalo on the Chobe river live under constant stress with the lions stalking and hunting them on a regular basis. In the Okavango Detla one should be cautious of buffalo as they can be very dangerous. Avoid dense bush, thickets and small islands as a lonely old bull could be in hiding and might object to your intrusion.

Weighing about 700 kg on average, with much larger individuals reported, the horn span of some mature bulls is more than a metre in width. It is said that more big game hunters have been killed by the cape buffalo than by any other African animal.
Cape buffalo prefer areas of open pasture, close to jungle and swampy ground where they can wallow.
Other than man, they have few natural predators and are capable of defending themselves against (and sometimes killing) lions, who will attack only old, sick, or immature buffaloes. The leopard is a threat only to newborn calves.
All attempts to turn the cape buffalo into a “useful” animal by crossbreeding it with domestic cattle have so far proved futile. Excessive hunting has reduced wild populations, and much of the water buffalo’s habitat has been converted to agricultural use.

Lodges and Camps in Botswana: Audi Camp - Camp Moremi -Camp Okuti - Camp Okavango - Chief's Camp - Chitabe Camp - Chobe Game Lodge - Chobe Marina Lodge - Crocodile Camp - Deception Valley Lodge - Delta Safari Camp - Duba Plains Camp - Duma Tau Lodge - Elephant Camp Victoria Falls - Footsteps Camp - Gunn's Camp - Grassland Safari Lodge - Jacana Camp - Kings Pool - Kubu Safari Lodge - Kwara Camp Okavango Delta - Leroo-la-Tau - Linyanti Camp - Little Mombo Camp - Mariolina's Victoria Falls - Mapula Lodge - Mombo Safari Camp - Motsentsela Tree Lodge - Nxabega Okavango Safari Camp - Pom Pom Camp - Sandibe Safari Lodge - Santawani - Savute Safari Lodge - Savuti Camp - Semetsi Camp - Xakanaxa Camp - Xigera Camp - Xugana Lodge

Botswana Destinations: Chief's Island - Chobe National Park - Gemsbok National Park - Kalahari - Khwai - Linyanti - Makgadikgadi Pans - Maun - Moremi Game Reserve - Nogatsaa/Tchinga - Nxai Pan - Okavango Delta - Savute - Tsodilo hills - Tuli Block - Xakanaxa

Zimbabwe Destinations: Victoria Falls

Birds of Botswana: Crowned Plover - Blue Waxbill - Cormorant - Egyptian Goose - Fish Eagle - Grey Lourie - Kingfisher - Kori Bustard - Lilacbreasted Roller - Ostrich - Saddlebilled Stork - Secretary Bird

Mammals of Botswana: African Wild Dog - African Elephant - Baboon - Bat-Eared-Fox - Brown Hyena - Buffalo - Bushpig - Cheetah - Eland - Genet - Giraffe - Hartebeest - Hippo - Impala - Jackal - Kudu - Leopard - Lion - Oryx - Puku - Red Lechwe - Roan Antelope - Sable Antelope - Sitatunga - Slender Mongoose - Spotted Hyena - Springbok - Squirrel - Surikate - Tsessebe - Warthog - Waterbuck - Wildebeest - Zebra

Reptiles of Botswana: African Rock Python - African Crocodile - Black Mamba - Cape Cobra - Chameleon - Gecko - Leopard Tortoise - Monitor Lizard - Mozambican Cobra - Puff Adder