Very odd event to happen in the wild! Sad.

https://www.namibiansun.com/ne...alo-drown2018-11-07/

At least 400 Cape Buffalo died in a stampede in the Chobe River last night in a desperate attempt to escape a pack of lions close on their heels.

Environment ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda confirmed the incident and said MET staff are at the site to investigate and begin removal of the carcasses.

Simone Micheletti of Serondela Lodge, situated near the site where the incident took place, told Namibian Sun that it is believed the panicked herd of buffalo tried to cross the river from Botswana’s side to reach the Namibian shore to escape the lions snapping at their heels.

He said the spot where the buffalo tried to cross was unfortunately filled with several high sand banks, forcing the animals into a narrow funnel where they trampled each other and drowned.

He said staff and guests at Serondela lodge could hear a large number of lions roaring in the area last night.

Namdeb Nam Sun
It is likely he said, from a visual scan of the incident area, that as many as 500 animals drowned.

Muyanda said the final number of dead buffalo will be confirmed at a later stage but that some carcasses will likely already have floated away.

He further explained that staff are still considering how to remove the carcasses but that they will likely be burnt as the most preferred method of disposal.

That sucks.

Same thing has happened in Kafue Zambia a couple of times.

I'm not sure I would characterize it as "sad". That is just nature doing its thing.

BH63

quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:
I'm not sure I would characterize it as "sad". That is just nature doing its thing.

BH63

Agreed, perhaps I should have said it differently. I just meant that it's sad to see so many Buffalo go to waste....which could have been used for meat, trophies, hunting revenue, etc....

As mentioned by BH63 this is nature looking after itself and besides, I have doubts that they all went to waste.

For sure the crocs will be well fed!

Something similar happens every year without fail during the migration within the Maasai Mara - its even become a tourist attraction.

It would appear that the locals have recovered all the buffalos for meat.