{"id":137257,"date":"2016-09-19T19:15:17","date_gmt":"2016-09-19T17:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=137257"},"modified":"2016-09-19T17:52:08","modified_gmt":"2016-09-19T15:52:08","slug":"why-this-superbuffalo-just-sold-for-r168-million","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/business\/137257\/why-this-superbuffalo-just-sold-for-r168-million\/","title":{"rendered":"Why this ‘superbuffalo’ just sold for R168 million"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Africa has a new ‘superbuffalo’ champion: Inala – a buffalo bull that has sold at auction for R168 million.<\/p>\n

The auction was held by\u00a0Thaba Tholo Game Reserve<\/a><\/strong>, where Inala was the main attraction.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0Thaba Tholo CEO,\u00a0Rubin Els, Inala will be\u00a0generating hype and attention from all over the world for the next 10 to 15 years, particularly among breeders.<\/p>\n

When it comes to buffalo, size really does matter \u2013 with a wider horn span fetching a higher the price.<\/p>\n

According to breeders, African buffalo used to have horns spanning wider than 1.5 meters, but hunting removed the largest animals from the gene pool.<\/p>\n

Breeders are trying to restore top genetics through breeding programmes \u2013 which is why buffalo with a wide horn span can fetch millions.<\/p>\n

A superbuffalo called Horison\u00a0is\u00a0considered the most expensive buffalo in the country after it was valued at over R176 million<\/a><\/strong> at an auction in February 2016.<\/p>\n

However, the valuation is based on the R44 million paid for a 25% stake in the bull, rather than the total R176 million paid. Therefore it is fair to say that Inala takes the crown\u00a0for a single payment, where the entire R168 million was paid.<\/p>\n

\"inala\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In terms of horn span, Horison’s is registered as the highest in the world at 1.39 metres, while Inala’s horn-span comes in at 1.30 metres, making it one of the three largest in the country.<\/p>\n

Els\u00a0said\u00a0that the money that came in for the bull will go towards the conservation enterprise of the 37,000 hectare game farm, which breeds other rare species, such as Steenbuck, Gemsbuck, Duiker, Bushbuck, and Wildebeest, among others.<\/p>\n