In Zambia’s Simalaha Community Conservancy, one of the Eland team scouts, Silwale Matuka, comes across some of the resident buffalo. These mighty beasts regularly come down to the Kalani watering hole in the wildlife sanctuary to quench their afternoon thirst. Although notorious for their ill-tempered mannerisms, the buffalo shown in the video looks fairly relaxed in the company of the scouts, almost as though he knows that these dedicated wildlife guardians have his best interests at heart.
These beautiful beasts were part of a founding population of disease-free Cape Buffalo that were translocated from Namibia’s Waterberg Plateau National Park back in 2018. Since then, Ian Middleton, Simalaha’s Project Manager, and the wildlife scouts have been hard at work ensuring that these buffalo are well looked after and protected.
The Buffalo’s Home
The buffalo currently reside in a large sanctuary within the Simalaha Conservancy, and their presence here is invaluable. Not only does it restore the local people’s cultural heritage and the place they call home, but these disease-free buffalo play a significant role in helping the sanctuary become financially sustainable. As the population continues to grow, Simalaha can start to sell a few each year to game reserves within Zambia, which will help to generate revenue. This revenue is put directly into local community projects, infrastructure development and wildlife protection.
Like any living organism, buffalo play an important role in restoring the healthy functioning of the ecosystem. As they walk on the ground with their sharp hooves, they sink in, creating shallow holes in the soil, which helps the rain and annual floodwaters to penetrate deeper. This results in increased groundwater levels and improved aeration of the soil, which promotes better growing conditions for grasses and plants.
Although buffalo are known to be one of Africa’s most aggressive animals, the Simalaha scout teams are well-trained in how to deal with wild animals safely should they come upon them on foot.
Peace Parks Foundation is incredibly grateful for the hard work that the scouts take in protecting these buffalo and the landscape at large.
