https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/t...ational-park-3818336


Link to photos and article.

Very interesting, he's good sized brute.

I think Charles Bronson made a movie about a white Buffalo.

They are mystical creatures.

The religious would say, they are gifts from God.

The merely spiritual would say, they are not to be touched, and never to be taken, by the hand of man.

Unless one were to find himself really, really, hungry, of course.

I shot a huge bodied bull coming out of Tarangire some years back and this one looks big bodied as well. He looks young though. Interesting. thanks for the story.

Hopefully, that bull will live a long life until lions take him. I shudder to think of the shitshow that would ensue if some hunter posted pictures on social media with such a buffalo.

It is somewhat surprising that it was not noticed before considering Park buffalo, among other species, have a tendency to remain in the confines of the Park boundaries and this fellow is not a young animal either.

Fulvio,

I defer to your expertise, but I thought he was young. Welcome your thoughts.

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
Fulvio,

I defer to your expertise, but I thought he was young. Welcome your thoughts.

It is definitely not an old dagga boy class specimen but certainly not young either judging from body size, an already prominent dewlap and fully developed horns which also show a defined gap between the bosses; traits that indicate he is a mature bull and a breeder within the herd.

My 0.2 cents.

https://allafrica.com/stories/202205240365.html


Tanzania: Tawiri Dispatches Experts to Unravel White Buffaloes Mystery


24 MAY 2022
Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)
By Edward Qorro in Arusha


A TEAM of experts from the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI) has been deployed at Tarangire National Park to unravel the mystery behind two white and cream coloured buffaloes roaming the protected area.

The decision follows reports of two large sub-Saharan African bovines which were spotted at Tarangire in a space of one week.

According to the director of research at the Arusha based wildlife institution Julius Keyyu, the emergence of the two rare buffaloes in such a short period of time raised eyebrows, compelling researchers and animal scientists to zero in on the issue which has also baffled researchers, recently.



"Phenotypic manifestation indicate that the two animals weren't suffering from Albinism as it was widely claimed, however being spotted in just a week, in the same area among vertebrates is a rarity," explained the TAWIRI research director on Sunday evening.

In wildlife, albinism is a rare occurrence at birth caused by a recessive gene. The rate in wildlife is estimated from 1 in 20,000 to 1 in 1 million, according to Dr Keyyu.

He further expounded that there have been 572 species of albinistic vertebrates reported in the wild, so far globally.

"It can be classified as either true or partial albinism and can be as a result of a number of factors such as inheritance, genetic mutations, environment and other factors," clarified Dr Keyyu.

In ascertaining the mystery behind the emergence of the two white and cream colored buffaloes, the Dr Keyyu disclosed that the research institute had dispatched a team of experts to the area to monitor the two animals, which includes collecting their Deoxyribonucleic acids (DNAs) with a view of solving the mystery behind their colours.



He further disclosed that the researchers will closely monitor the two buffaloes by collaring them, an exercise which will jointly be executed with Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA).

In March this year, a rare zebra with no black stripes on its back had been spotted at Serengeti National Park.

A video clip of the albino zebra, named Ndasiata, was shared by the Serengeti National Park on Instagram.

It shows the foal roaming in a field with other zebras, which have regular black-and-white stripes.

Ndasiata was covered mostly in white fur, with only a few faint black lines on its neck, head and body.

In the caption, the Serengeti National Park wrote, "A young zebra with albinism called "Ndasiata" is still roaming in Serengeti plains."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a00BGWKtt8E


Buffalo from May 23rd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dcpSnoCD2g


This video has multiple photos of the first buffalo.

quote:

He further disclosed that the researchers will closely monitor the two buffaloes by collaring them, an exercise which will jointly be executed with Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA).

Uh oh ... here we go.

My limited experience with Parks is they can wreck a new vehicle like nobody's business.

Fulvio, When I said he was "young", other than he's white, he looks a lot like a bull I'm sorry I shot a number of years ago outside Tarangire. The biggest bull I've ever shot in terms of body size, but still a breeder. I have his feet as bookends and they are absolutely huge compared to a normal buffalo.

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:

quote:

He further disclosed that the researchers will closely monitor the two buffaloes by collaring them, an exercise which will jointly be executed with Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA).

Uh oh ... here we go.

I see this ending badly…