Most game ranches in South Africa (where ethical hunting is practiced) are large enough so that most of the game contained within never actually gets to see the ranch fences within their lifetime. That said, all animals behave relatively more dangerously in comparatively more confined spaces. It’s the first rule we forest rangers were taught when we began our course of “Principles Of Forestry” in the University Of Peshawar in 1967.
If they know the boundaries/limits of just how far they can go in order to escape their tormentors, they become more aggressive when they are getting closer to the ranch fences. We see it with hippopotamus all the time, when we stand between them and the safety of their water bodies. We see it with leopard hunted over hounds. When pushed long enough and eventually made to think that it simply can’t escape, nine times out of ten… the leopard WILL charge. Cape buffalo are far more intelligent & capable of tactical planning than what initially meets the eye. I faced two unwounded South African Cape buffalo charges in the Limpono Province. It’s no coincidence that on both occasions, the charges occurred relatively near the ranch boundaries.
The Marquis De Monestrol authored an excellent book called “La Faune Et
La Flore Indochinoises” which talks about how Gaur behave far more aggressively when they think that escape is not so easy anymore.
On the subject of captive bred lion, the notion that they can be more aggressive than wild lion is not 100% accurate. Since I’ve actually been fortunate enough to hunt multiple wild lions as well as a captive bred lion, I will shed some insight upon this matter. Wild lions employ ambush tactics in order to get at their prey. When sensing hunters approaching them, an unwounded wild lion will (eight times out of ten) attempt to get away. Because they have learnt to perceive human beings as dangerous. A captive bred lion (upon being released into the hunting area) will show a predisposition towards forcefully chasing his/her prey and then killing it. It takes roughly 15 months in order for it to learn proper ambush tactics in the wild. When approached by human beings, nine times out of ten… it charges and attempts a frontal attack. Because it has not learnt that man can be dangerous and can stop the attack (i.e shoot it) when seeing it approaching from the front.
P.S: When Asher recently lost his life during the tragic hunting incident, he was attacked by the Cape buffalo not far from the ranch boundary. I have good reason to believe that the Cape buffalo in question, was well aware of where the ranch boundary was before it decided to attack.