Like many other large mammals, Cape Buffalo were once much more widely distributed than they are today. In the southern part of their range, the southern part of South Africa, they used to occur right along the Cape south coast to the west: today they are not found in the Cape province at all, except for in the Addo Elephant National Park. They do occur in specific parts of many African countries.
The rindepest epidemic that swept through Africa in the 18th century almost exterminated the Cape Buffalo, but the species has remarkable powers of recovery, and they have repopulated many areas.
During the wet cycles Cape Buffalo numbers build up, only to decline during dry spells, as they cannot adapt very well to dry conditions, and they find it hard to find enough food when the grass is short.
Cape Buffalo can have a profound effect on the grass cover in reserves, and it has been necessary to cull large numbers of them in the Kruger National Park when their numbers have built up considerably.
Disease and climatic factors which affect their habitat are the most serious factors affecting buffalo populations, as predation has only a very minor effect.
Foot and mouth disease has had a major impact on Cape Buffalo, particularly in Zimbabwe, and at the present time bovine TB is a major problem in the southern regions of the Kruger National Park, and will have a major impact on the buffalo population there.
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