Dagga Boys

Angry, defiant, and sometimes outright ruthless, it has been said that the cape buffalo has a dark heart. Especially the old Dagga Boys (mud boys in Swahili) as they live out their later days in solitude or small bachelor groups. This Dagga boy has found himself the perfect sized Mud Wallow, where he has adorned himself with a thick coat of fresh mud. Famed author Robert Ruark wrote “the cape buffalo looks at you as if you owe him money” and judging by the look in this old bull’s eye, it appears to be payday.

African Buffalo. Syncerus caffer weighing in at roughly 700 kg, but being able to reach 900 kg or more, is a formidable foe. The Big 5, (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo), is derived from the fiercest or hardest animals to hunt. In terms of buffalo the Big 5 classification is meant mostly towards the old Dagga Boys, of which we have many.

Solitary older male buffalo's are sometimes referred to as “Dagga Boys”. The word dagga comes from one of the African languages which means mud. These buffalo are normally the ones that have been forced out of the herd by the younger ones. Males have bigger “bosses”. The word boss refers to the helmet they have on their horns as males need it to protect their brains when they fight with each other, while females have very small horns. Among the big five animals the buffalo is the most unpredictable animal as it does not give any warning when they attack. The biggest danger with buffalo normally lies with these older males or “Dagga Boys” who no longer live with the breeding herd. Their best defence is to attack, and that is what makes them so dangerous. As the old males tend to be solitary or form smaller groups of around 6 or so, they are more likely to be provoked into an attack as they don’t have as much safety as a huge big herd would. It is not uncommon to have over 1000 buffalo in a herd of both sexes and ages. This type of herd is very protective and a distress bleat of calves could bring the whole herd to stampede. 

 A Dagga Boy, (“Dagga” referring either to mud or as a slang term for crazy), is a bull who has left the breeding herd in his old age. Usually by himself, although sometimes multiple Dagga Boys come together to drink or eat, he is as grumpy and crazy as old men come, and is constantly rolling in the mud to rid himself of pesky parasites, aid in his inevitable hair loss, or to cool down. Buffalo’s eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell is acute and even in their old age Dagga Boys still have reputable use of their senses, which they love to use to stalk and find a ranger out walking in the bush and then proceed to chase them up thorn trees! They also are extremely aggressive if wounded naturally or by unsuccessful hunters, and will charge anything within their vicinity, including getting into an argument or two with unsuspecting trees.

 THE AFRICAN BUFFALO KEYNOTE

Why would we ever want to learn from the animal kingdom if we deem ourselves at the top of the food chain?

The African Buffalo keynote displays its significance by simply being the buffalo who they are. Why then is it so challenging for humans to follow suit as a ‘superior species’? Maybe this is our biggest dilemma that our mental processes and current framing is just too powerful and reinforced to change. The bottom line is we want to be in control and it is all driven by fear. The fear of failing or even worse not making it still in your time. Is there then a lesson to be learned from the most profound experiences with the African Buffalo. The answer is a definite yes. Learn what it means to be in full command as a leader. 

I'M INTERESTED