Cape Buffalo on the Charge

More animal captures took place today and while L joined some of the team on horseback, so that any darted animals could be followed easily if they went were the vehicles could not follow, I opted for one of the game vehicles.

The first job is to find the herd of buffalo, not always the easiest thing when they can range over such a wide area.  Finally, on the northern boundary we came across the group including our target, a young bull that had recently escaped from an enclosure.  They don’t want him breeding with the herd as they are very particular about bloodlines.

They were in a deep thicket, not ideal for the darting of the bull as extricating him afterwards would be difficult.  So we headed off to get some animal feed nuggets.  Fred, our guide lifted them onto the back of the vehicle, drove past the buffalo and then called them, shaking the bag at the same time.  The phrase ‘there is no such thing as a free meal’ came to mind but the herd quickly followed, led by one of the senior females, complete with calves. We could see the young bull join the herd, as well as the senior bull, Texas. We drove up the track, the buffalo herd in tow, heading towards a large clearing where the vet would have an easier shot and the bull was more likely to go down in an accessible place.

We picked up the vet, and came into this area for the shot. As happened yesterday he got the bull first time. He ran, followed by a few of the herd. Riders came in to follow and make sure we didn’t lose sight of him.  It takes about 5 minutes for the cocktail of drugs to have an effect. Slowly, the bull became more lethargic, tripping himself up as his legs went from under his body. As soon as he was down, Fred jumped out of the vehicle to hold his massive horns. Then it seemed like everyone was surrounding him as the vet started his ministrations.  Then the effort to lift the beast into the trailer for transport. A large reinforced mat with handles all the way round was placed on the ground as we rolled the bull onto its side/back.  Then we rolled him back so everyone involved could grab a handle. Metre by metre we lifted and dropped the bull towards the waiting trailer. No way could we just carry him straight to the waiting vehicle, we would have tripped up in a tangle of legs, so many people were needed, standing hip to hip, to lift him. Finally we reached the ramp and slowly but surely, he was lifted into the trailer.

That wasn’t our only excitement of the day. A Roan antelope was also to be captured in the morning. We had seen him by a pool first thing, a favourite place for him and where I’d had a brief encounter yesterday morning, when he mock charged the horse I was riding. Thankfully, my horse moved out of the way quickly, something I wasn’t prepared for, but luckily I managed to maintain my seat!

On returning to the pool he was nowhere to be seen, replaced by Sophie, a female rhino and two of her children.  We found the roan antelope just below the dam wall that formed the pool and with some gentle encouragement we set him off back to the pool.  In the meantime we drove back to move Sophie and her clan away from the water with a bag of the animal feed. Sophie has lost her horn in an accident, but it didn’t stop her dropping her head at the front corner of the vehicle to register her protest.

Once the rhino vacated the area we put a pile of the animal feed by the pool and the antelope was soon enjoying a free lunch. We headed off to collect the vet, to return by which time the antelope was again sitting down, presenting his rump for the shot. In the meantime, the riders were ranged around the area in a large circle. Experience told the, that the antelope would run once tranquilised and it could be in any direction.  In the end, he headed off under some trees about 300 metres north, before dropping to the ground. As previously happened, he was made safe, checked over and on this occasion the vet had to go to work on his right ear, or what was left of it, as it had been removed previously due to damage.  Unfortunately, it has become reinfected and fly blown, but with some judicious work, was cleaned up ready for transport.

It was just left to release the horses, collect the riders and tack and head back for a well-deserved lunch.