Massive African Buffalo’s Playfully Spar With Each Other

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When we see large animals of the same species going head to head in what looks to be a fight, it can be an incredibly frightening experience. However, sometimes they are merely play-fighting. Given animals like the buffalo’s size and power, it can be difficult to tell which. Let’s see how this fight plays out in the video above with these buffalo. 

Buffalo’s Sighted in Mabula

The next YouTube video shown at the beginning of this blog post takes us to Mabula in South Africa. The Africam Videos is a live streaming service in Africa that gathers real-time footage of animals in the wild in remote locations. It’s one thing to see videos taken from a safari where animals might be showing off or acting differently. But, with these hidden cameras, we get to see how these animals act without the presence of humans.

Buffalo’s Going Head-to-Head

As the video begins, we see the hidden camera set up in Mabula at this river, where animals frequently come to visit. And suddenly, two massive buffalo are seen coming to the water for hydration and to cool off. They both get in the water when one of them bends his head down, and butts head with the other. 

This causes their gigantic horns to clash. As we can see, the horns are long and curve upward with a sharp pointy end. According to the African Wildlife Foundation, “The horns are formidable weapons against predators and are used when jostling for space within the herd; males use the horns in fights for dominance.” 

And as we can see through the course of the video, there is no real fight here. They are merely messing around with each other. Likely just trying to show which is more powerful. Think of it like when two grown men wrestle with each other at a party. They are doing it for fun but also to show who is stronger than the other. 

What Animal’s Live in Mabula? 

Mabula is set in Limpopo in South Africa and is a private game reserve that is estimated to be about 30,000 acres. Many people come to visit yearly as the game reserve offers a few once-in-a-lifetime activities in the wild, such as a golf course and even a hot air balloon safari!

Mabuala has the traditional Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and African buffalo). They also have other famous predators such as the hyena, cheetahs, honey badger, and jackal. Then, there is a variety of prey, such as red hartebeest, eland, gemsbok, and blesbok. 

There are estimated to be less than 573,000 buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in Africa alone. Their conservation status is of the least concern and not endangered.