Page 42 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL5
P. 42
ELITE ADVENTURE A herd of African buffalo crosses the Chobe River in Chobe National Park, Botswana.Two young African buffalo bulls have a mock skirmish in Lake Nakuru National Park.An African buffalo bull stares at the camera in Sweetwaters Private Reserve, Kenya.The fourth member of the Big Five is the African buffalo, or Cape buffalo, which features a strong, solid build with short legs and bovine appearance. It stands around 150-160cm tall at the shoulder. A male weighs 750- 820kg and a female 680-740kg. The buffalo are found in a wide range of habitats, from dense forest and woodland to savannah with sufficient tall grass and water, of which they drink around 21 litres a day.Because of their dependence on water and their presence in large numbers in most national parks and reserves in eastern and southern Africa, the buffalo are the easiest of the Big Five to spot. They are gregarious and usually graze together in large herds and join forces to deter lions, their arch enemies.The most elusive of the Big Five is the leopard. It stands 60-65cm tall at the shoulder and weighs up to 80kg. It has tremendous strength and can carry prey, usually a medium-sized antelope, up into a tree to secure it away from other predators. The
