African buffalo are highly social herd animals whose welfare depends on herd cohesion, territory quality, and protection from both predators and human hunters.
Buffalo expelled from herds as older bulls face dramatically increased predation pressure - isolated individuals are vulnerable in ways herd members are not. Within herds, social hierarchies determine access to quality food and water, meaning stressed subordinate individuals experience both social and nutritional deprivation simultaneously. Bovine tuberculosis, spreading from infected cattle populations, causes progressive respiratory disease and wasting in wild buffalo. Disease management through culling creates acute welfare harm to individuals while potentially protecting herd health.