This was a tragedy for all concerned

Andy Adcock, a birdwatcher and wildlife enthusiast from Notting­ham­shire, England, sent in the following letter with regard to the near-fatal buffalo attack at Pafuri River Camp in November last year, as reported on by the Zoutpansberger:

“Just to shut up some of the morons whose misinformed comments were posted following your report.

Firstly, we were walking in a private camp which holds no wild animals. We were shocked to see the buffalo, which was clearly nervous when it saw us and it then disappeared very quickly into thin bush. Within seconds of us losing site of it, it launched a totally unprovoked attack on two elderly guys out enjoying some birdwatching. We are not hunters!

The screams told us that someone was being attacked and, fearing that his kids were involved, a South African fisherman ran out and put two 9mm rounds into the animal, which definitely saved lives.

I cannot say for sure if it had been injured prior to this, but it was last seen near our tent, slumped to the ground. It was found later that day and destroyed.

If the animal had managed to stay inside Kruger, it might still be alive now. The simple fact is that it found its way into a private camp where there are no armed guards and no one is prepared for encounters such as this. Thank God it wasn’t a lion or an elephant!

The suitability of the Kruger fence needs to be looked at as a matter of course. Pafuri River Camp went to the expense of erecting a secondary fence to keep customers safe, but local tribes people cut it into pieces to allow access for their grazing cattle.

We were there to enjoy all African wildlife, not kill it.  This was a tragedy for all concerned, not least the hapless animal.”

Letters - Date: 26 March 2015

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