WORDS TO LIVE BY

I’m a big fan of nature TV. Not all of it. Shows about reptiles bore me. How often are they going to show turtles burying their eggs in the sand? We’ve all seen it a few times. Get over it!

And then there’re crocodiles. How hard are they to find? Crocs are the most indolent creatures on earth. Mostly they lay on the bottom of their ponds. Tough job finding them. They’re in the same place every day. The hard part is getting them to move.

Mostly I like watching big cats in Africa. Lion cubs are adorable. (Does that sound too gay?) The cheetahs chasing down Thompson gazelles are the most interesting sporting events on TV. The gazelles have a better than even chance to get away. Sometimes they appear to taunt the cheetahs.

Lions stalking and attacking Cape buffalo is also engrossing. The buffaloes often turn and chase off the lions. It’s not an even battle, but sometimes lions are killed.

Those scenes between lions and buffaloes got me thinking. The lion’s only chance is with buffaloes on the fringe of the herd. Why would a buffalo stay there?

That question intrigued me so I went to Africa and did extensive I. Q. tests on herds of buffaloes.

Here is the result:

THE SMARTEST BUFFALOES STAY IN THE CENTER OF THE HERD.

Write that down.

Those are words to live by.