Probably one of the most amazing animals we saw while at Kruger National Park were the Cape Buffalo. In 1957, there was not one Cape Buffalo in the Park. A few were brought in, and it was hoped that they could survive there. Well, survive they did. On our way into the park, before we'd ever made it to Jock Safari Lodge the first night, we literally came up over a rise, and before us were 300+ buffalo in a herd, blocking the road. We'd heard they were rather aggressive animals so we kept a healthy distance (about 100 yards), but it was fascinating to see that many of them. Young, old, babies, mothers. Then a day later, while out on a Game Drive at Jock, there they were again. Only this time we got to park in the middle of the herd (no kidding), so we had buffalo within touching distance for about a half hour. These animals are huge and dumber than bricks. lol If one gets upset about something, they ALL get upset, without knowing what they're getting upset about (wait a minute! I've met people like that online, most are called trolls).
You can see in the third picture that I wasn't kidding about being in the middle of the herd. And the first picture was what blocked the road our first day of our trip. Stunning to see hundreds of buffalo just taking their time crossing the road.
We only saw hippos in a couple of places, but as our guides kept reminding us, some of them could be underwater at the watering holes and dams we stopped at, and we wouldn't even be aware that they were there, until they pop their heads up to breathe. They are probably the most dangerous animals in Kruger. Possibly because people underestimate their speed. They look heavy and ungainly, but they're quite capable of running faster than a human. But the biggest reason they are the most dangerous is that if you happen to be between them and water, they will run you down or attack you, in order to take refuge where they are most comfortable.
And those really are crocodiles next to all the hippos. Apparently, there's some sort of agreement reached when everyone is near a watering hole and resting in the sun. The crocs weren't making any move to go after the hippos, the impala that were on the other side of the river, or the birds that were all over the place.
The funniest thing we saw going on with the Hippos happened at Lower Sabie in Kruger Park. The hippos were all over the place there, and the ones that were in the water were being used as surfs boards by the various fishing birds there. I called it Hippo Surfing, as the birds would only leave the hippos when they were fishing, and then would fly back onto the hippos backs to eat their catch.
