Buffalo soldier

Another cheeky cheetah

Hippo in the Mara

We can see you! A stupid water buffalo tries to ambush me by hiding behind a twig.

Not everyone in the group took up the option of the balloon flight, so when it was over the plan was for the balloonists to be ferried back to the airfield where we would meet up with our travelling companions. The journey back happily became another game viewing experience as our driver went out of his way to allow us a close up view of some of the creatures we had flown over. These included the four cheetahs, who turned out to be a mother and three males, around one year old (see pictures in earlier blog entry).

We were all enthralled by these guys as they played together - having mock battles and chasing each other over the open ground. In a trip that brimmed with privilege, none ranked higher than the 15 minutes or so we spent in the company of these glorious and energetic cats.

By late morning the group was re-united and we set off in our minibuses once more across the plains of the Maasai Mara.

We lunched on the banks of the Mara and in the early afternoon we drew up at a view point on the river. Below us maybe a dozen hippo were basking in the murky water. Although hippos are very dangerous my attention was drawn to an even greater danger. A young man in a uniform toting an AK47.

Unfortunately, men with guns are a common sight in Africa. Armed soldiers often appear at road blocks and outside most big banks you will usually see at least one man cradling an automatic weapon as he guards against robbers.

Our guy was quite scruffily dressed in combat fatigues and it turned out he was a game ranger. If a man with a gun is worrying, then a boy with a gun is downright alarming. On closer inspection he appeared to be about 16. He also had a very casual way of holding his gun and I was not exactly impressed to see it pointing towards my head at one point.

Besides the hippo, there was a solitary croc on the river, about 12 feet long.

Our young, armed friend invited us on a walk. For the equivalent of 50p each he would guide us further down the river to where more crocs lay in wait.

We had gone about 300 yards when the young guide stopped in alarm and bid us to be quiet. About 80 yards away to our right, apparently minding its own business, was a solitary water buffalo. At this point I didn't feel threatened but that all changed when our youthful friend quickly cocked his AK47. Luckily he didn't point it towards me this time. Instead he raised it aloft and let off a round with a loud crack that brought screams from my largely female companions who hadn't been expecting it.

'Be quiet!' commanded our guide. He then radioed for back-up, but none came. He let off another shot. By this time the buffalo had disappeared behind some bushes so I don't know what effect the loud bangs had. Three miles away a surprised looking monkey fell out of a tree, hit by a falling bullet (sorry, I made that bit up, but it might be true, they must have landed somewhere).

Our guide then issued another, albeit confusing, command -

'Very slowly...Run!'

Quickly, we backed away and returned the way we had come. Our walk was over. Reluctantly, we all paid our 50p anyway as none of us fancied starting an argument with our trigger-happy ranger.

If, like me, you are prone to having a suspicious mind you will be wondering if this was all a charade. A convenient way to get out of the guided walk and still make a few quid on the side.

This of course is possible, but if you've ever read any Wilbur Smith novel then you will know that water buffalo are not one of the Big 5 for nothing, even if they do look like a cow with a bad hangover. They are very dangerous, particularly the lone bachelors as this one was, who are forced to leave the herd when they get past their prime.

As if to reinforce the point that night JJ told us about a near fatal encounter his uncle had with a water buffalo.

These guys are not only mean and nasty, but sneaky too and they will set an ambush for the unwary. JJ's uncle was a game ranger and he and three others were on patrol when out of nowhere an angry water buffalo charged out of the bush. The ranger's weapons were not cocked and three of them fled in terror and climbed trees, leaving JJ's uncle to face the buffalo alone. The beast took him low with its fearsome horn, impaling his left thigh. The buffalo disengaged itself and charged in for the kill. Unable to use his un-cocked AK47, the uncle grabbed the buffalo's horns and wrestled for his life. Managing to free his knife, the uncle then stabbed the buffalo in the eye. This only served to make it angrier than ever. Sensibly the uncle manoeuvred himself onto the blind side of the raging buffalo and finally freed his gun. He shot the water buffalo several times but failed to hit any vital points. He did though manage to drive the beast off. Shakily, it withdrew, the knife still embedded in its eye, and returned to the bush to lay another ambush!

When the danger was over the other men returned to assist the uncle. He was in hospital for 2 months and needed to have muscle grafted from his buttocks to his badly damaged thigh.

Looking back, 50p does seem like a reasonable amount to pay for being spared the inconvenience of being skewered like a kebab on the horn of a pissed-off water buffalo.