By Folorunsho Adisa
While pronouncing it, the name “Buffalo” creates a kind of enormous image, feeling, or thought. It gives the impression of solidity and stolidity. Little wonder we had “Buffalo Soldiers” a moniker synonymous with African-American regiments who fought in the Indian wars
The big and beautiful bovine in the images below is the African buffalo otherwise known as the Cape buffalo. It is one of Africa’s most effective grazers that can be found in floodplains, swamps, grasslands, and forests within Africa. A Cape Buffalo is reported to have 4 times the strength of an Ox, amazing!
While a male buffalo (Bull) can weigh between 650 to 800 kg, a female buffalo (Cow) can weigh between 550 to 700 kg. In other words, buffaloes are a mass of moving flesh! A metaphor for strength.
The beast has been reported to injure or killed lions on some occasions, however, they are a pretty prey for lions. I watched a video clip a few minutes ago where the “law of nature or the law of jungle” played out. A big buffalo was cornered by a pride of lions. The bovine went into a shallow stream and stayed there (standing) from morning till evening (resilience). While the buffalo was there, the pride sat at the bank of the river monitoring their next meal.
The buffalo was worn out and decided to try its luck. It stealthily moved out of the water and tried a race the lions pursued it and independently went for different parts of its body. This mountain of meat tried to head-but them but the lions were clinical at attacking him and before I could say Jack Robinson, a surgery had been performed on the buffalo. Dinner ready!
The Law of Nature: If the lions did not eat the Buffalo, they would slowly starve to death. As I pitifully watched the video as the buffalo was being devoured, the sad reality of life dawned on me that sometimes, something might have to die for something else to live and that is the truth of our universe— especially in the jungle— that no amount of our love for animals will ever change the natural laws that regulate their ecosystem(s)
Should someone save the buffalo from the fangs of the lions, the lions would have to starve to death. Indeed, life and, even, living are convoluted!
