Take It Easy: Buffalo Treats Itself To A Relaxing Mud Bath

By Hannah Stevens @Hannahshewans

A BUFFALO indulges himself with a relaxing mud bath

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Photographer Ingo Gerlach captured the buffalo in the Masai Mara

Photographer Ingo Gerlach captured the African buffalo submerging in a large puddle of mud in the Masi Mara, Kenya.

The comical sequence shows the buffalo rolling around in the mud.

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The buffalo head first in the mud

Ingo said: "I was able to photograph this scene of a buffalo relaxing in a mud hole.

"While man uses mudpacks to relax and take care of their skin, for the African buffalo, or even the kaffir buffalo, it is the mud bath.

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The buffalo rolls in mud to cool down

"The buffalo rolled his whole body through the sway to cover every inch of his skin with mud. The buffaloes especially like it when they are in the rut.

"On the one hand, they look like they do it for fun but on the other, the dense mud has health benefits.

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Ingo said: "While man uses mudpacks to relax, the African buffalo - it is the mud bath"

"Once the mud has dried up, it holds for quite a few days and the buffalo can keep a lot of annoying insects at bay.

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The dried mud is used to keep the flies away

"Then the buffalo must look for a new mud hole. In the meantime, when the mud crumbles away the vermin take over again, but birds often help with fire care and the removal of the insects.”