That puts the animal’s worth at more than double the total earnings of South Africa’s highest paid executive in 2014.
When it comes to buffalo, size really does matter – the wider the horn span, the higher the price – and with the highest horn span in the world, Horison has fetched the highest price ever for any animal sold in South Africa.
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.
Breeders are trying to restore top genetics through breeding programmes – which is why buffalo with a wide horn span can fetch millions.
The buffalo which previously held the record for the highest price at auction was a 1.35 metre horn span Cape Buffalo bull named Mystery, bought by South African billionaire Johann Rupert for R40 million in 2013.
Horison vs CEOs
In 2014, Richemont co-CEO Bernard Fornas was the highest paid executive in the country, earning R88 million including bonuses for the year.
This is half the total value of Horison. Taking the average total earnings among the ten best-paid executives, it would take 2.6 years of work to afford Horison.
On a basic earnings basis, the top 10 best paid CEOs in SA would have to work an average of more than 5 years to afford the bull.
