Mbogo Mkuu

Guy Combes encountered this mbogo mkuu (chief buffalo) at a wildlife sanctuary near his home at Soysambu in Kenya. By the lake, among the reeds, is where the old buffalo bulls go when they’ve been ousted from the herd. “You sometimes see them in pairs or on their own,” says the artist, “but when they’ve been ejected from the herd they tend to be very defensive and aggressive.

“In addition to the attitude, the buffalo has evolved his fearsome horns. Buffalo are primary prey for lions and to bring down a full-grown buffalo usually takes up to three or four lionesses. To be able to fight off three or four large lions, a buffalo needs some ammunition.”