LARGE ANIMAL ATTACKS - Medicine for Mountaineering and Other Wilderness Activities - page 480

◆ Pets should not be allowed to swim in water inhabited by alligators. Dogs should be
kept on a leash. Pets are frequently attacked by crocodilians, and their owners may be
attacked if the pet harasses one of these animals or catches its attention as potential
prey.
Crocodilians are capable of memorizing traveling routes and campsites. When camping
in these animals' habitat, the camp should be well away from water, and the area must not
be littered with food scraps. If the water must be approached or entered to collect water,
washdishes,orbathe,itmustbedonewithcaution.Enteringthesameplaceeachtimemust
be avoided.
Cape Buffalo
The cape, or African, buffalo is a large animal that weighs 1100 to 2000 pounds. The
closelyrelatedforestbuffaloisonlyhalfthatsize.TheAfricanbuffaloisnotcloselyrelated
to the slightly larger Asian water buffalo, and its nature is so unpredictable that it is highly
dangerous to humans and has not been domesticated like its Asian counterpart.
The African buffalo is one of the most successful grazers in Africa. It lives in swamps
andfloodplains,aswellasgrasslandsandforestsofthemajormountainsofAfrica.Buffalo
can be found from the highest mountains to sea level and prefer habitat with dense cover,
such as reeds and thickets. However, herds are also found in open woodlands and grass-
lands.
These animals are notorious for unprovoked attacks but usually do not attack unless
cornered. They can run as fast as thirty-five miles per hour. They kill twenty to a hundred
humans each year. Reportedly, more big game hunters have been killed by African buffalo
than by any other African animal. Wounded animals are reputed to stalk the hunter, some-
times circling behind them and attacking.
Hyenas
Although hyenas bear some physical resemblance to dogs, they are most closely related
to mongooses. All hyena species have a distinctly bearlike gait because their front legs are
longer than their back legs. Hyenas, in particular the spotted hyena, are highly intelligent
animals, and some studies have indicated that they have independently evolved traits sim-
ilar to primates as a result of having to adapt to similar environments. Spotted hyena soci-
eties are more complex than those of other carnivorous mammals and have been reported
to be remarkably similar to those of baboons, macaques, and green monkeys in group size,
structure, competition, and cooperation.
Hyenas have extremely strong jaws for their body size and a very powerful digestive
system with highly acidic fluids, making them capable of eating and digesting their entire
prey, including skin, teeth, horns, and bones. They eat carrion, so their digestive system
must deal very well with bacteria.