# "I Don't Know," Said The Buffalo

An episode of [Animal Tales: The Kids' Story Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1644596989), 29 Jun 2026, 17 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/72702157/at509_idontknowsaidthebuffalo_mixdown.mp3

A special extra story this week, featuring a buffalo! Written especially for this podcast by Simon. If you enjoyed this story, please do leave us a review. And, if you'd like to suggest an animal for a future Animal Tales story, you can do so by emailing podcast@animaltales.uk. We would love to hear from you. Animal Tales Books! Collections of Animal Tales children’s stories are available to buy exclusively at Amazon. Simply search for Animal Tales Short Stories or follow this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CLJQZ9C9?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_sirpi Become a PREMIUM Subscriber You can now enjoy Animal Tales by becoming a Premium Subscriber. This gets you: • All episodes in our catalogue advert-free • Bonus Premium-only episodes (one per week) which will never be used on the main podcast • We guarantee to use one of your animal suggestions in a story You can sign up through Apple Podcasts or through Supercast and there are both monthly and yearly plans available. Discover a brand new story every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – just for you! You can find more Animal Tales at www.animaltales.uk A Note About The Adverts In order to allow us to make these stories we offer a premium subscription and run adverts. The adverts are not chosen by us, but played automatically depending on the platform you listen through (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc) and the country you live in. The adverts may even be different if you listen to the story twice. We have had a handful of instances where an advert has played that is not suitable for a family audience, despite the podcast clearly being labelled for children. If you’re concerned about an advert you hear, please contact the platform you are listening to directly. Spotify, in particular, has proven problematic in the past, for both inappropriate adverts and the volume at which the adverts play. If you find this happening, please let Spotify know via their Facebook customer care page. As creators, we want your child’s experience to be a pleasurable one. Running adverts is necessary to allow us to operate, but please do consider the premium subscription service as an alternative – it’s advert free.

## Transcript

[0:12] Speaker 1: Yea, hello. My name's Josephine and this is the Animal
[0:17] Speaker 1: Tales podcast, where you suggest the animals featured in our stories.
[0:22] Speaker 1: There are new tales to enjoy every Monday and Wednesday,
[0:25] Speaker 1: with a third premium only story every Friday, and occasionally,
[0:30] Speaker 1: if we have the time, we'll do an extra one
[0:33] Speaker 1: like this one. Jack is in Ireland and he has
[0:37] Speaker 1: asked for a story featuring a buffalo. You can learn
[0:41] Speaker 1: more about these creatures in the animal facts after the story. Okay,
[0:46] Speaker 1: are you ready? That's good, then I'll begin. I don't know,
[0:53] Speaker 1: said the buffalo. When Jack woke up that morning, the
[0:58] Speaker 1: room appeared to be done darker than usual. At first,
[1:02] Speaker 1: he thought he'd just woken up too early, until he
[1:05] Speaker 1: heard his mum moving about elsewhere in the house. It
[1:09] Speaker 1: must be bad weather today, thought Jack. The sky must
[1:14] Speaker 1: be full of gray clouds for it to be as
[1:16] Speaker 1: dark as this. But when he sat up, he saw
[1:20] Speaker 1: the reason for the lack of light was clearly something else.
[1:24] Speaker 1: There was a buffalo in front of his window. Good morning,
[1:29] Speaker 1: said the buffalo. It seemed almost as surprised to be
[1:33] Speaker 1: there as Jack was to see it, Um, said Jack.
[1:39] Speaker 1: Don't mind me, continued the buffalo with embarrassment. Er Okay,
[1:45] Speaker 1: said Jack. This sort of thing had never happened to
[1:49] Speaker 1: him before, so he wasn't entirely sure what he was
[1:52] Speaker 1: supposed to say. Was the buffalo somehow now his guest?
[1:58] Speaker 1: Did he need to offer it breakfast? And how was
[2:01] Speaker 1: he going to get the buffalo through his bedroom door
[2:03] Speaker 1: to reach the kitchen? The animal was far too big,
[2:07] Speaker 1: which made him realize something else. Um, how did you
[2:12] Speaker 1: get in my bedroom? Jack asked, I don't know, said
[2:18] Speaker 1: the buffalo. This seemed like a strange answer to Jack.
[2:23] Speaker 1: The buffalo had got in here somehow, and it couldn't
[2:26] Speaker 1: have been easy. It would have required some considerable squashing
[2:31] Speaker 1: and squeezing, and yet the buffalo was acting as if
[2:34] Speaker 1: it couldn't remember it happening. Jack swung his legs out
[2:39] Speaker 1: of bed, although he did it carefully, the buffalo was
[2:43] Speaker 1: taking up a lot of space. Have you been in
[2:46] Speaker 1: here long? Jack wondered, I don't know, said the buffalo.
[2:53] Speaker 1: Do you at least know how long you're going to stay?
[2:56] Speaker 1: Jack added, He felt as if asking so many questions
[3:00] Speaker 1: might be considered to be rude, but he reminded himself
[3:04] Speaker 1: it was his bedroom, after all. I don't know, said
[3:09] Speaker 1: the buffalo. Look, I'll tell you what, said Jack. I'm
[3:15] Speaker 1: just going to fetch my mum. Perhaps she can help
[3:18] Speaker 1: work out what's going on. Is that okay with you?
[3:22] Speaker 1: The buffalo shrugged, its very large hairy shoulders. Suppose, so,
[3:28] Speaker 1: the buffalo said. Jack managed to open the door just
[3:32] Speaker 1: enough to extract himself from the room, returning moments later
[3:36] Speaker 1: with his mum in toe. There's no buffalo here, Jack,
[3:41] Speaker 1: she said, as the pair of them gazed around the
[3:44] Speaker 1: empty room. But there was a minute ago, said Jack,
[3:48] Speaker 1: as he checked under his bed. There really was. Then
[3:54] Speaker 1: where did it go? Asked his mum, holding her palms
[3:58] Speaker 1: out facing upwards. I don't know, said Jack. Jack went
[4:05] Speaker 1: to the bathroom, making sure to check in the bath
[4:08] Speaker 1: in case there was a buffalo in it. He'd seen
[4:11] Speaker 1: a spider in there before now, so it seemed perfectly
[4:14] Speaker 1: reasonable that the buffalo could be in there too. But
[4:18] Speaker 1: it wasn't. Then he got dressed and went looking for breakfast.
[4:24] Speaker 1: Help yourself to whatever you want, said his mum as
[4:27] Speaker 1: she passed him at the kitchen door. I'm just going
[4:30] Speaker 1: to fetch the washing that needs doing, okay, said Jack.
[4:35] Speaker 1: He went to the fridge, first, opening the door wide
[4:39] Speaker 1: to remove the milk. Turning back around, Jack saw that
[4:43] Speaker 1: he was no longer alone. The buffalo was filling much
[4:47] Speaker 1: of the kitchen. Ah, there you are, he said. Where
[4:52] Speaker 1: did you go? I don't know, said the buffalo. It
[4:58] Speaker 1: sounded as if he was telling the truth. I see
[5:01] Speaker 1: that you managed to get in here, all right, observed Jack,
[5:05] Speaker 1: despite you being bigger than the door that is. How
[5:08] Speaker 1: do you do that? I don't know, said the buffalo.
[5:14] Speaker 1: Well you're here, and that's what matters. Would you like
[5:17] Speaker 1: some breakfast? Jack set the milk down on the side,
[5:21] Speaker 1: then pulled open the cupboard to see what cereal they
[5:24] Speaker 1: had to do this, He had to turn his back
[5:28] Speaker 1: on the buffalo. Have you still not chosen what you're having?
[5:33] Speaker 1: Asked his mum, as she arrived with arms full of
[5:36] Speaker 1: underpants and socks. Has it gone again? Asked Jack, sounding astounded.
[5:43] Speaker 1: There's what gone again, asked his mum. The buffalo. It
[5:48] Speaker 1: was right there, insisted Jack, gesturing to the now empty
[5:52] Speaker 1: space in my kitchen. His mum replied, what was a
[5:58] Speaker 1: buffalo doing in my kitchen? I don't know, said Jack.
[6:05] Speaker 1: Jack's mum said they needed some items from the supermarket,
[6:08] Speaker 1: so as soon as breakfast was over, they bundled into
[6:11] Speaker 1: the car. Jack made sure to check all the seats
[6:15] Speaker 1: in case there was a buffalo in there already, but
[6:18] Speaker 1: there wasn't. They'd gone out early, which was good because
[6:23] Speaker 1: it meant that the supermarket wasn't very busy. The smell
[6:27] Speaker 1: of freshly baked bread filled their nostrils as they went in,
[6:31] Speaker 1: prompting Jack to ask Mum, may I have some cookies?
[6:36] Speaker 1: Sure you can, she smiled at him. Go and choose
[6:40] Speaker 1: the ones you like, then come and find me. Jack
[6:44] Speaker 1: knew exactly where the fresh cookies were kept, so went
[6:47] Speaker 1: directly there. There were more flavors than he was used to,
[6:52] Speaker 1: so he spent a moment studying the packaging before selecting
[6:55] Speaker 1: the ones with white chocolate chunks. With this done, to
[7:00] Speaker 1: go and find his mum, but found his way blocked
[7:03] Speaker 1: by a gigantic, shaggy beast. Hello again, said Jack, Did
[7:10] Speaker 1: you need some shopping as well? I don't really know,
[7:14] Speaker 1: said the buffalo with a frown. I've chosen some cookies,
[7:19] Speaker 1: said Jack. Do you like cookies? I don't know, said
[7:24] Speaker 1: the buffalo, with a shake of its tremendous head. Have
[7:29] Speaker 1: you never tried cookies before, asked Jack in surprise, I'd
[7:34] Speaker 1: be very happy to share one of mine. Come with
[7:37] Speaker 1: me so we can pay for them. Then you can
[7:39] Speaker 1: have the first one out of the bag. Jack saw
[7:44] Speaker 1: his mum waiting near the front of the store and
[7:46] Speaker 1: so headed straight to her. Did you get what you wanted?
[7:50] Speaker 1: She asked? White chocolate chunks, grinned Jack. But I'm going
[7:56] Speaker 1: to share them with me, asked his mum hopefully. Of course,
[8:02] Speaker 1: he smiled. But also with the buffalo. Oh it's gone again.
[8:08] Speaker 1: It was right behind me. That's frustrating, said his mum,
[8:13] Speaker 1: as she started unloading their items to be scanned. Does
[8:17] Speaker 1: the buffalo like white chocolate? Jack realized he'd forgotten to ask.
[8:24] Speaker 1: I don't know, he replied. Jack had a hospital appointment
[8:29] Speaker 1: that afternoon, so straight after lunch, he and his mum
[8:33] Speaker 1: were sat on neighboring chairs waiting to be called in
[8:36] Speaker 1: to see the doctor. Jack had studied the car park,
[8:41] Speaker 1: the entrance, and the corridors, but hadn't seen the buffalo
[8:45] Speaker 1: once since the supermarket. He was beginning to think that
[8:49] Speaker 1: was the end of it. Mum whispered Jack as he
[8:54] Speaker 1: tugged on her sleeve. I need the toilet. They're right there,
[8:59] Speaker 1: said his mum, pointing to a door a short distance away.
[9:03] Speaker 1: Make sure you wash your hands. Jack hopped down from
[9:08] Speaker 1: the chair and crossed to the toilet door. Unfortunately, it
[9:12] Speaker 1: was locked, but there was another door beside it with
[9:16] Speaker 1: a wheelchair symbol on it. Jack tried the handle, pulling
[9:20] Speaker 1: the door open. Oh sorry, said Jack as he realized
[9:25] Speaker 1: that this toilet was occupied. After all, there was something
[9:29] Speaker 1: hairy in it. Although this toilet was larger than the
[9:33] Speaker 1: one next door, it wasn't much larger than the bulk
[9:37] Speaker 1: of the buffalo. You really should lock the door, said
[9:41] Speaker 1: Jack helpfully. Do you know how to do that? I
[9:46] Speaker 1: don't know, said the buffalo. Look, you just lift the
[9:50] Speaker 1: handle upwards to lock it like this, said Jack, demonstrating
[9:55] Speaker 1: on the partially opened door. Then push it down when
[9:59] Speaker 1: you want to come out. Does that make sense? I
[10:02] Speaker 1: don't know, said the buffalo. It was looking very worried.
[10:08] Speaker 1: If you don't mind me saying Jack said gently. You
[10:12] Speaker 1: don't seem to know much, do you. The buffalo considered
[10:17] Speaker 1: this for a moment. No, I don't do, I realized
[10:22] Speaker 1: the buffalo. If I'm honest, to day has been very confusing, Jack,
[10:30] Speaker 1: are you going in the toilet or not? Called his
[10:33] Speaker 1: mum from her chair. Just waiting my turn, he called back,
[10:39] Speaker 1: but when he looked back into the toilet, it was
[10:41] Speaker 1: completely buffalo free. A short time later, after washing his hands,
[10:48] Speaker 1: of course, Jack retook his seat. The buffalo was in there,
[10:53] Speaker 1: he explained to his mum, but it disappeared again. It
[10:58] Speaker 1: gets about, doesn't it, she observed. Do you think it's
[11:02] Speaker 1: following you? I don't know, admitted Jack. They picked up
[11:09] Speaker 1: pizza on the way home, but Jack didn't see the
[11:12] Speaker 1: buffalo once. He made sure to look in all the
[11:15] Speaker 1: cars they passed, down all the side streets, and even
[11:19] Speaker 1: looked over the counter when they collected their pizzas in
[11:22] Speaker 1: case there was a buffalo beside the pizza oven. Back home,
[11:27] Speaker 1: once the pizza had been devoured, Jack's mum asked him
[11:31] Speaker 1: to choose a movie for them to watch. He scrolled
[11:35] Speaker 1: through the choices, wondering if there was one about a buffalo,
[11:39] Speaker 1: but couldn't see one. He picked one about aliens instead.
[11:44] Speaker 1: By the time they'd watched that, it was bedtime, so
[11:48] Speaker 1: after a trip through the bathroom and a quick story,
[11:51] Speaker 1: Jack's mum kissed him on the top of his head
[11:54] Speaker 1: and wished him good night. Mum asked Jack as she
[11:59] Speaker 1: was leaving the room. You do believe me when I
[12:02] Speaker 1: say I saw a buffalo, don't you? Of course I do,
[12:07] Speaker 1: smiled his mum. That's good, said Jack, returning the smile.
[12:13] Speaker 1: See you in the morning. The door was pulled too.
[12:17] Speaker 1: As Jack wriggled down, getting snugly, he was right on
[12:21] Speaker 1: the brink of falling asleep when something snorted near the
[12:25] Speaker 1: end of his bed. It sounded like it might have
[12:28] Speaker 1: come from a buffalo. You're back, said Jack, sitting up.
[12:34] Speaker 1: I am, said the buffalo, And to be truthful, I'm
[12:39] Speaker 1: still not really sure what's going on here. One moment
[12:43] Speaker 1: I'm here, the next I'm there, then I'm somewhere else.
[12:47] Speaker 1: It seems like a very strange way for a buffalo
[12:50] Speaker 1: to behave, it does, agreed Jack. But wherever I go,
[12:58] Speaker 1: continued the buffalo. You're there. Are you important? I don't know,
[13:05] Speaker 1: said Jack. At least I don't think so. No more
[13:09] Speaker 1: important than anyone else. Well, it seems to me, said
[13:15] Speaker 1: the buffalo. But maybe you are, and perhaps that you
[13:20] Speaker 1: and I are connected. It does seem that way, doesn't it,
[13:25] Speaker 1: nodded Jack. It's just that we don't know. Why do
[13:29] Speaker 1: you think that matters? I don't know, said the buffalo.
[13:35] Speaker 1: I just hope I'm not being a nuisance. You know,
[13:38] Speaker 1: with all this appearing and disappearing, you're not a nuisance,
[13:43] Speaker 1: insisted Jack. It's not everyone that gets their very own
[13:47] Speaker 1: buffalo following them around. I rather like the idea, and
[13:52] Speaker 1: I'm quite sure my mum wouldn't mind if you were
[13:54] Speaker 1: to stay. She's great like that. That's good to know,
[13:59] Speaker 1: said the buffalo. Then I'll do just that. It's looking
[14:04] Speaker 1: like that's what I'm supposed to do. Anyway. That way,
[14:08] Speaker 1: whenever you need me, I'll be there, white by your side.
[14:13] Speaker 1: Jack like the sound of this. He'd grown quite fond
[14:17] Speaker 1: of his new buffalo friend. Do you think other children
[14:21] Speaker 1: have their own buffaloes, he asked. I don't know, said
[14:26] Speaker 1: the buffalo. But what I do know is that you
[14:30] Speaker 1: have one. I intend to be around whenever you need me.
[14:35] Speaker 1: Thanks Buffalo, said Jack. Reaching down beside his bed, he
[14:41] Speaker 1: lifted up a paper bag with a white chocolate chunk
[14:44] Speaker 1: cookie inside. I saved you one, he said. Ooh, grinned
[14:50] Speaker 1: the buffalo. I was looking forward to that. With the
[14:55] Speaker 1: cookie eton Jack said good night to the buffalo. Sleep tight.
[15:00] Speaker 1: The buffalo answered, settling its considerably large body upon the
[15:05] Speaker 1: bedroom floor, and much to Jack's mum's surprise, that's where
[15:11] Speaker 1: she found them both in the morning. Animals fact, all
[15:20] Speaker 1: buffalo are bovines, which also includes other large cattle such
[15:25] Speaker 1: as goers and yaks. Bow vines, along with all other
[15:30] Speaker 1: animals with hoofs such as antelope, pigs and horses, are
[15:34] Speaker 1: what we call ungulates. If that sounds complicated, wait until
[15:39] Speaker 1: you hear about the buffalo, because buffalo covers several species
[15:44] Speaker 1: of wild cattle. These include water buffalo, a Noah's or
[15:49] Speaker 1: dwarf buffalo, and the African buffalo. It can also mean
[15:53] Speaker 1: an American bison, which isn't actually a buffalo at all.
[15:58] Speaker 1: I wonder which kind of buffalo you were imagining when
[16:01] Speaker 1: you heard the story. Thank you for your suggestion, Jack,
[16:05] Speaker 1: We hope you enjoyed it, and thank you to all
[16:08] Speaker 1: of you across the world for listening to it. If
[16:12] Speaker 1: you prefer your stories advert free, then please consider our
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[16:21] Speaker 1: animaltales dot uk for a tiny fee their advert free.
[16:27] Speaker 1: Join us next time for another great animal tale good Bye,

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