South African Cape Buffalo
The South African Cape Buffalo is a subspecies of the African buffalo; it is the largest, darkest in color and temperament of the African buffalo subspecies. Enormous beasts, Cape Buffalo males can weigh more than two tons. Due to its immense size and foul temperament, it has never been domesticated by humans and is one of the most difficult and dangerous animals to hunt in all of Africa.
Of the big five game animals, which include the African lion, African leopard, African elephant, and black rhinoceros, the Cape Buffalo is the only one that is not endangered at all. As the Cape Buffalo is capable of fighting off and even killing many of its potential predators, it has relatively few predators aside from humans, lions, and large crocodiles. In fact, only the most skilled lions and crocodiles are capable of successfully bringing down a Cape Buffalo. However, despite its natural ferocity, the Cape Buffalo is most susceptible to disease of all the African buffalo subspecies. This susceptibility has led the South African government to restrict the movement of the herds as a preventative measure against spreading disease amongst domesticated animals.
