Could it be the character of cape buffaloes has changed a bit in the past 100 years? This might seem a crazy question but, as an analogy, I hear that in some parts of NZ red stags have evolved not to roar because those that did got shot, leaving those that didn't to do the diddling.

The reason I wonder is because John Afred Jordan said that buffalo hate humans so much that at the mere smell of one they would try to seek him out, kill him and strip his bones.

Is this still a recognised pattern or do they generally only become maliciously dangerous once wounded?

Not having read 'Mangoso' then, I went to Moz and followed buff for several days that wanted nothing to do with us. Only when some elephants threatened them did they come rushing up a hill, some passing close by and some stopping a few yards in front of us.

Maybe the charge-stopping, big-game rifle has taken care of the extra-stroppy strain that came looking for trouble, leaving the more-circumspect ones to carry on, in some areas at least.