t was one of those perfect days in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve. Come to think of it, most days on safari are nothing short of perfect. But today, something unusual happened. Jochen and the team witnessed quite a flamboyant display from a territorial hippo defending his dam. These displays of animal behaviour are always fascinating to observe.
Jochen said, “The hippo vs buffalo incident was an amazing day. We saw the buffalo herd and, depisite bad visibility, we decided to stay with them. After 30 minutes we actually saw a female buffalo with a newborn calf!”
Jochen made an educated guess that the buffalo herd would be headed for the dam, so off he sped. Soon enough, the buffalo filtered down to the dam and clambered into the water. Cue five minutes later and 200 buffalo were drinking from the dam. In the distance it appeared there was a rather agitated hippo swimming moving closer to the herd. At first the hippo merely observed the shoreline activity and then became anxious. At this stage, the buffalo and calf stayed in the deep end for safety reasons.
The lone hippo eventually lost his cool and decided to defend his dam. Hippos make an impressive honking sound to advertise their territory. They actually have a harem system where pods of bulls occupy dams filled with breeding females. Bulls are notorius for having a bad temper and are known to clash with one another. To show dominance they open their mouths and display a set of rather ominous looking teeth. In the video and the images from Jochen, you will notice the open mouth, the snapping and the grunting sounds – all indicative of territorial behaviour.
All of this in one sighting – a newborn buffalo calf, buffalo herds drinking and a defensive hippo. No wonder Jochen was excited !
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