The buffalo we saw in the national parks are also called
“African Cattle”. They, bless their
hearts, are quite ugly animals I think and always seem to be wearing a
scowl. They have terrible vision and so
live in a large herd in order to protect themselves from predators. Because they can’t see, they spook easily and
will charge almost anything they think is a threat, especially if the buffalo
is away from the herd. If a buffalo gets
injured or becomes elderly, it can’t add to the “herd immunity” from predators,
if you will, and oftentimes it gets kicked out of the group. You’ll see these “loser buffalo” as they are
called by the safari drivers by themselves appearing rather lonely. Some of them may have scars from past
battles, or perhaps their coats are a lighter color which is what made them
stick out from the group in the first place.
But remember their poor vision?
Now that they are alone it’s really hard to fend for themselves and be
protected from danger. When you
frequently run across carcasses in the savannah it’s from those lone
buffalo. These are generally the
stubborn ones who refuse to band together with other “losers” in order to gain
strength in numbers.
Then there’s the weaver bird. This was my favorite bird for a couple of
reasons: first is that they have
beautiful splashes of yellow on their feathers, and secondly because of this
story. The weaver birds are so named
because they weave very impressive elaborate nests. Actually, the nest is woven by the male in
order to attract the females to come mate with them. Generally the female will come along, check
out the nest, and if it’s not made to her exact specifications she will
literally shred it – breaking the male’s heart and then fly away. She’ll come back a day or two later to a new
nest, inspect, and shred it again.
Finally when the nest meets her expectations she will move in and begin
a family.
The lessons here? I’m
not so sure, but perhaps it’s better to be together than alone – and men better
take care of their women!
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