African Hunter Published Books Guide to Nyati | Hunting the African Buffalo | Page 23

cropping to prevent over-population and all the problems associated
with that dire phenomenon.
Sport hunting is where the buffalo’s future lies. It is unlikely
that buffalo will ever be harvested commercially solely for their
meat, disease and other considerations limiting commercial viability.
Studies in the Kruger National Park in South Africa have identified at
least 42 different diseases and parasitic infestations in buffalo. These
ultimately limit the beast’s potential to ever replace the common
cow as a meat source. Interestingly, from an average live weight
of an adult bull buffalo weighing around 800kg, one can expect
around 290kg of deboned meat. If converted to biltong, an average
weight of 90kg can be expected. Useful if considered a by-product
of the animal’s real value and its role as one of the big five, and the
possible contribution it will make to supplementing protein for rural
communities whose lives are intertwined with wildlife and hunting.
In a wild and natural environment (of which conservancies
such as that described above can be considered), only around 8%
of buffalo mature to be considered trophy quality - an older animal
with hard boss and well formed horns. Experts believe a 2% offtake of trophy bulls to be sustainable, while if one combines cows
and bulls, research in Zimbabwe has shown just over 5% off-take to
be sustainable. In some studies carried out (during culling), it was
established that as high as 83% of cows between the ages of 5-9 years
old were pregnant, while 66% of those over 10 years old also carried
fetuses. In spite of this, population growth is slow with an estimated
six to nine out of every 20 buffalo calves ever reaching reproductive
age, with 65% dying before one year of age, and mortality dropping
thereafter to about 6% per annum. Various factors can and do work to
alter the dynamics of mortality - food availability, water etc. - though
generally the larger the herd, the higher the mortality rate tends to be
as big herds must move much greater distances in search of grazing,
with calves often losing condition and falling foul of predators.
Zimbabwe has benefited from several unique circumstances to
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