The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large
bovid originating in the
Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Italy, the Balkans, Australia, North America, South America and some African countries.[1] Two extant
types of water buffalo are recognized, based on
morphological and
behavioural criteria: the river buffalo of the Indian subcontinent and further west to the Balkans, Egypt and Italy and the swamp buffalo, found from
Assam in the west through Southeast Asia to the
Yangtze Valley of China in the east.[1][2]
The
wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee) most probable represents the
ancestor of the domestic water buffalo.[3] Results of a
phylogenetic study indicate that the river-type water buffalo probably originated in western India and was
domesticated about 6,300 years ago, whereas the swamp-type originated independently from
Mainland Southeast Asia and was domesticated about 3,000 to 7,000 years ago.[4] The river buffalo dispersed west as far as
Egypt, the
Balkans, and Italy; while swamp buffalo dispersed to the rest of Southeast Asia and up to the Yangtze Valley.[4][5][6]
Carl Linnaeus first described the genus Bos and the water buffalo under the
binomialBos bubalis in 1758; the species was known to occur in Asia and was held as a domestic form in Italy.[10]Ellerman and
Morrison-Scott treated the wild and domestic forms of the water buffalo as
conspecifics,[11] whereas others treated them as different
species.[12] The
nomenclatorial treatment of the wild and domestic forms has been inconsistent and varies between authors and even within the works of single authors.[13]
In March 2003, the
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature achieved consistency in the naming of the wild and domestic water buffaloes by ruling that the
scientific nameBubalus arnee is valid for the wild form.[14]B. bubalis continues to be valid for the domestic form and applies also to
feral populations.[15]
In the early 1970s, different names were proposed for the river and swamp types of water buffalos; the river type was referred to as Bubalus bubalis bubalis(Linnaeus, 1758), while the swamp type was referred to as Bubalus bubalis carabanensis(Castillo, 1971). However, Bubalus carabanensis is considered a junior synonym of Bubalus kerabauFitzinger, 1860.[16]
The skin of the river buffalo is black, but some specimens may have dark, slate-coloured skin. Swamp buffaloes have a grey skin at birth, which becomes slate blue later.
Albinoids are present in some populations. River buffaloes have longer faces, smaller girths, and bigger limbs than swamp buffaloes. Their dorsal ridges extend further back and taper off more gradually. Their horns grow downward and backward, then curve upward in a spiral. Swamp buffaloes are heavy-bodied and stockily built, with a short body and large belly. The forehead is flat, the eyes are prominent, the face is short, and the
muzzle is wide. The neck is comparatively long, and the
withers and
croup are prominent. A dorsal ridge extends backward and ends abruptly just before the end of the chest. Their horns grow outward and curve in a semicircle, but always remain more or less on the plane of the forehead. The tail is short, reaching only to the
hocks. Size of the body and shape of horns may vary greatly among breeds. Height at the withers is 129–133 cm (51–52 in) for bulls and 120–127 cm (47–50 in) for cows, but large individuals may attain 160 cm (63 in). Head-lump length at maturity typically ranges from 240–300 cm (94–118 in) with a 60–100 cm (24–39 in) long tail.[17] They range in weight from 300–550 kg (660–1,210 lb), but weights of over 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) have also been observed.[1]
Tedong bonga is a
piebald water buffalo featuring a unique black and white colouration that is favoured by the
Toraja of
Sulawesi.[18]
The swamp buffalo has 48
chromosomes, while the river buffalo has 50 chromosomes. The two types do not readily interbreed, but fertile offspring can occur. Water buffalo-cattle hybrids have not been observed to occur, but the embryos of such hybrids reach maturity in laboratory experiments, albeit at lower rates than non-hybrids.[19]
The
rumen of the water buffalo differs from the rumen of other
ruminants.[20] It contains a larger population of bacteria, particularly the
cellulolytic bacteria, lower
protozoa, and higher fungi
zoospores. In addition, higher levels of the rumen
ammonianitrogen (NH4-N) and
pH have been found compared to those in cattle.[21]
Ecology and behavior
River buffaloes prefer deep water. Swamp buffaloes prefer to
wallow in mudholes, which they make with their horns. During wallowing, they acquire a thick coating of mud.[1] Both are well-adapted to a hot and humid climate with temperatures ranging from 0 °C (32 °F) in the winter to 30 °C (86 °F) and greater in the summer. Water availability is important in hot climates, since they need wallows, rivers, or splashing water to assist in
thermoregulation. Some water buffalo
breeds are adapted to
saline seaside shores and
saline sandy terrain.[22]
Diet
Water buffaloes thrive on many
aquatic plants. During floods, they graze submerged, raising their heads above the water and carrying quantities of edible plants. Water buffaloes eat
reeds, Arundo donax, a kind of
Cyperaceae, Eichhornia crassipes, and
Juncaceae. Some of these plants are of great value to local peoples. Others, such as E. crassipes and A. donax, are a major problem in some tropical valleys and by eating them, the water buffaloes may help control these invasive plants.
Swamp buffaloes generally become
reproductive at an older age than river breeds. Young males in Egypt, India, and Pakistan are first mated around 3.0–3.5 years of age, but in Italy, they may be used as early as 2 years of age. Successful mating behaviour may continue until the animal is 12 years or even older. A good river buffalo male can impregnate 100 females in a year. A strong seasonal influence on
mating occurs. Heat stress reduces
libido.[1]
Although water buffaloes are polyoestrous, their reproductive efficiency shows wide variation throughout the year. The cows exhibit a distinct seasonal change in displaying
oestrus,
conception rate, and
calving rate.[23] The age at the first oestrus of
heifers varies between breeds from 13 to 33 months, but mating at the first oestrus is often infertile and usually deferred until they are 3 years old.
Gestation lasts from 281 to 334 days, but most reports give a range between 300 and 320 days. Swamp buffaloes carry their calves for one or two weeks longer than river buffaloes. Finding water buffaloes that continue to work well at the age of 30 is not uncommon, and instances of a working life of 40 years have been recorded.[1]
Domestication and breeding
The most probable ancestor of domesticated water buffalo is the wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee), which is native to the
Indian subcontinent and tropical Southeast Asia.[24] Two types of domesticated water buffalo are recognized, based on
morphological and behavioural criteria – the river buffalo (of the western Indian subcontinent and west to the Levant, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean) and the swamp buffalo (found from
Assam and
East India in the west, east to the
Yangtze Valley of China, and south through
Indochina and Southeast Asia).[2]
River- and swamp-type water buffalo are believed to have been
domesticated independently. Results of a
phylogenetic study indicate that the river-type water buffalo probably originated in western India and was probable domesticated about 6,300 years ago; the swamp-type originated independently from
Mainland Southeast Asia, being domesticated between 3-7,000 years ago.[4] The river buffalo dispersed west as far as
Egypt, southern Europe, the
Levant, and the Mediterranean regions; swamp buffalo dispersed in the opposite direction, to the rest of Southeast Asia, and as far as the Yangtze Valley in China.[4][5][6]
Swamp-type water buffalo entered
Island Southeast Asia from at least 2,500 years ago through the northern
Philippines, where butchered remains of domesticated water buffalo have been recovered from the
Neolithic Nagsabaran site (part of the
Lal-lo and Gattaran Shell Middens,
c. 2200 BCE to 400 CE). These became the ancestors of the distinctly swamp-type
carabao buffalo breed of the Philippines which, in turn, spread to
Guam,
Indonesia, and
Malaysia, among other smaller islands.[25][26]
The present-day river buffalo is the result of complex domestication processes involving more than one maternal lineage and a significant maternal
gene flow from wild populations after the initial domestication events.[27] Twenty-two
breeds of the river buffalo are known, including the
Murrah,
NiliRavi,
Surti,
Carabao, Anatolian,
Mediterranean, and Egyptian buffaloes.[28] China has a huge variety of water buffalo
genetic resources, with 16 local swamp buffalo breeds in various regions.[22]
Genetic studies
Results of
mitochondrial DNA analyses indicate that the two types were domesticated independently.[29]Sequencing of
cytochrome b (CytB)
genes of Bubalusspecies implies that the water buffalo originated from at least two populations, and that the river-type and the swamp-type have differentiated at the full species level. The
genetic distance between the two types is so large that a divergence time of about 1.7 million years has been suggested. The swamp-type was noticed to have the closest relationship with the
tamaraw of the northern Philippines.[30]
A 2008 DNA analysis of
Neolithic water buffalo remains in northern China (previously used as evidence of a Chinese domestication origin) found that the remains were of the
extinctBubalus mephistopheles and are not genetically related to modern domesticated water buffaloes. Another study in 2004 also concluded that the remains were from wild specimens. Both indicate that water buffaloes were first domesticated outside of China.[5][6] Analyses of
mitochondrial DNA and
single-nucleotide polymorphism indicate that swamp and river buffaloes were
crossbred in China.[31]
A 2020 analysis of the genomes of 91 swamp and 30 river buffaloes showed that they separated already before domestication about 0.23 million years ago.[32] A 2021 analysis of water buffalo and
lowland anoa genomes unexpectedly found the anoa branching somewhere between swamp and river buffalos.[16] A 2023 Filipino study using the CytB gene instead found the
tamaraw branching between the two.[33]
Distribution of populations
By 2011, the global water buffalo population was about 172 million.[34] The estimated global population of water buffalo is 208,098,759 head distributed in 77 countries in five continents.[35]
In Asia
More than 95.8% of the world population of water buffaloes are kept in Asia, including both the river-type and the swamp-type.[22] The water buffalo population in India numbered over 97.9 million head in 2003, representing 56.5% of the world population. They are primarily of the river type, with 10 well-defined breeds: the
Bhadawari,
Banni,
Jafarabadi, Marathwadi,
Mehsana,
Murrah,
Nagpuri,
Nili-Ravi,
Pandharpuri,
Surti, and
Toda buffaloes. Swamp buffaloes occur only in small areas in
northeastern India and are not distinguished into breeds.[36]
In 2003, the second-largest population lived in China, with 22.76 million head, all of the swamp-type, with many breeds kept only in the lowlands, and other breeds kept only in the mountains; as of 2003, 3.2 million swamp-type
carabao buffaloes were in the Philippines, nearly 3 million swamp buffaloes were in Vietnam, and roughly 773,000 buffaloes were in Bangladesh. About 750,000 head were estimated in Sri Lanka in 1997.[22] In Japan, the water buffalo was used as a domestic animal throughout the Ryukyu Islands or
Okinawa prefecture, however it is almost extinct now and mainly used as a tourist attraction.[37] Per a 2015 report, about 836,500 water buffaloes were in
Nepal.[38]
The water buffalo is the main dairy animal in Pakistan, with 23.47 million head in 2010.[39] Of these, 76% are kept in the
Punjab. The rest are mostly kept in the province of
Sindh. The water buffalo breeds used are the Nili-Ravi, Kundi, and Azi Kheli.[40]Karachi alone has upwards of 400,000 head of water buffalo in 2021, which provide dairy as well as meat to the local population.[41][42]
In Thailand, the number of water buffaloes dropped from more than 3 million head in 1996 to less than 1.24 million head in 2011.[43] Slightly over 75% of them are kept in the country's northeastern region. By the beginning of 2012, less than one million were in the country, partly as a result of illegal shipments to neighbouring countries where sales prices are higher than in Thailand.[citation needed]
Water buffaloes were probably introduced to Europe from India or other eastern sources. In Italy, the
Longobard King
Agilulf is said to have received water buffaloes around 600 AD. These were probably a present from the
Khan of the
Avars, a
Turkic nomadic tribe that dwelt near the
Danube River at the time.
Sir H. Johnston knew of a herd of water buffaloes presented by a
King of Naples to the
Bey of Tunis in the mid-19th century that had resumed the
feral state in northern
Tunis.[45]
European water buffaloes are all of the river-type and considered to be of the same breed named the Mediterranean buffalo. In Italy, the Mediterranean type was particularly selected and is called the
Mediterranea Italiana buffalo to distinguish it from other European breeds, which differ genetically. Mediterranean buffalo are also kept in
Romania,
Bulgaria,
Greece,
Serbia,
Albania,
Kosovo, and
North Macedonia, with a few hundred in the
United Kingdom,
Ireland,[46]Germany, the
Netherlands,
Switzerland, and
Hungary. Little exchange of breeding water buffaloes has occurred among countries, so each population has its own
phenotypic features and performances. In Bulgaria, they were crossbred with the Indian Murrah breed, and in Romania, some were crossbred with Bulgarian Murrah.[22] As of 2016, about 13,000 buffaloes were in Romania, down from 289,000 in 1989.[47]
Populations in
Turkey are of the Anatolian buffalo breed.[28]
In Australia
Between 1824 and 1849,[48] swamp buffaloes[49] were introduced into the
Northern Territory, from
Timor and
Kisar and probably other islands in the
Indonesian archipelago, to provide meat and hide.[48] When the third attempt at settlement by the British on the
Cobourg Peninsula was abandoned in 1849, the buffaloes were released.[50] In the 1880s, a few river buffaloes were imported from India to Darwin for milk.[51][49] Water buffalo have been the main grazing animals on the subcoastal plains and river basins between Darwin and
Arnhem Land (the "
Top End") since the 1880s.[48][49] They became feral and caused significant environmental damage. Their only natural predators in Australia are crocodiles and
dingoes, which can only prey on the younger animals. As a result, they were hunted in the Top End from 1885 until 1980.[52]
In the early 1960s, an estimated population of 150,000 to 200,000 water buffaloes was living in the plains and nearby areas.[48] The commencement of the
brucellosis and
tuberculosis campaign (BTEC) resulted in a huge culling program to reduce water buffalo herds to a fraction of the numbers that were reached in the 1980s. The BTEC was finished when the Northern Territory was declared free of the disease in 1997. Numbers dropped dramatically as a result of the campaign, but had recovered to an estimated 150,000 animals across northern Australia in 2008,[52] and up to an estimated 200,000 by 2022.[50] Both swamp and river buffaloes exist in feral populations,[52] but swamp buffaloes are more prevalent than river buffaloes.[49]
Significance to Aboriginal peoples
"Nganabbarru" is the
Bininj Kunwok word for buffalo, which are represented in
rock art paintings at Djabidjbakalloi. The buffalo left behind after the failed British attempt at settlement became a threat to the local
Aboriginal peoples, as they had no guns at that time. As the herds expanded across into
Arnhem Land, some local people seized the chance to hunt the animals for their hides in the 1880s, as they did not belong to anyone, unlike sheep and cattle. The industry continues to provide employment opportunities and income for
traditional owners.[50]
Uses
During the 1950s, water buffaloes were hunted for their skins and meat, which was exported and used in the local trade. In the late 1970s, live exports were made to
Cuba and continued later into other countries. Swamp buffaloes are now crossed with river buffaloes in
artificial insemination programs, and are kept in many areas of Australia. Some of these
crossbreeds are used for milk production.
Melville Island is a popular hunting location, where a steady population up to 4,000 individuals exists. Safari outfits are run from Darwin to Melville Island and other locations in the Top End, often with the use of
bush pilots; buffalo horns, which can measure up to a record of 3.1 m (10 ft) tip-to-tip, are prized hunting trophies.[53]
Water buffaloes were exported live to Indonesia until 2011, at a rate of about 3,000 per year. After the live export ban that year, the exports dropped to zero, and had not resumed as of June 2013.[54] Tom Dawkins, CEO of NT Buffalo Industry Council, said in May 2022 that culling should be a last resort, given the flourishing and growing live export trade and economic benefits for Aboriginal people.[50] By the end of 2021, cattle exports to Indonesia had dropped to the lowest level since 2012, while demand for buffalo was growing both in Australia and in Southeast Asia.[55]
In South America
Water buffaloes were introduced into the
Amazon River basin in 1895. They are now extensively used there for meat and dairy production. In 2005, the water buffalo herd in the Brazilian Amazon stood at roughly 1.6 million head, of which 460,000 were located in the lower Amazon floodplains.[56] The breeds used include the Mediterranean from Italy, the Murrah and Jafarabadi from India, and the carabao from the Philippines. The official Brazilian herd number in 2019 is 1.39 million head.[35]
In Argentina, many game ranches raise water buffaloes for commercial hunting.[58]
Other important herds in South America are
Colombia (>300.000), Argentina (>100.000) and Venezuela with unconfirmed reports ranging from 200 to 500 thousand head.[35]
In North America
In 1974, four water buffaloes were imported to the United States from
Guam to be studied at the
University of Florida. In February 1978, the first herd arrived for commercial farming. Until 2002, only one commercial breeder was in the United States. Water buffalo meat is imported from Australia.[57] Until 2011, water buffaloes were raised in
Gainesville, Florida, from young obtained from zoo overflow. They were used primarily for meat production, and frequently sold as hamburger.[59] Other U.S. ranchers use them for production of high-quality
mozzarella cheese.[60][61][62][63] Water buffaloes are also kept in the Caribbean, specifically in Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba.[64]
Husbandry
The husbandry system of water buffaloes depends on the purpose for which they are bred and maintained. Most of them are kept by people who work on small farms in family units. Their water buffaloes live in close association with them, and are often their greatest
capital asset. The women and girls in India generally look after the milking buffaloes, while the men and boys are concerned with the working animals. Throughout Asia, they are commonly tended by children who are often seen leading or riding their charges to wallows. Water buffaloes are the ideal animals for work in the deep mud of
paddy fields because of their large hooves and flexible foot joints. They are often referred to as "the living tractor of the East". They are the most efficient and economical means of cultivation of small fields. In most rice-producing countries, they are used for
threshing and for transporting the
sheaves during the rice harvest. They provide power for oilseed mills, sugarcane presses, and devices for raising water. They are widely used as
pack animals, and in India and Pakistan, for heavy haulage, also. In their invasions of Europe, the Turks used water buffaloes for hauling heavy battering rams. Their dung is used as a
fertilizer, and as a
fuel when dried.[1]
Around 26 million water buffaloes are slaughtered each year for meat worldwide.[65] They contribute 72 million tonnes of milk and three million tonnes of meat annually to world food, much of it in areas that are prone to nutritional imbalances. In India, river buffaloes are kept mainly for milk production and for transport, whereas swamp buffaloes are kept mainly for work and a small amount of milk.[36]
Water buffalo milk presents physicochemical features different from those of other ruminant species, such as a higher content of
fatty acids and
proteins.[66] The physical and chemical parameters of swamp-type and river-type water buffalo milk differ.[67]
Water buffalo milk contains higher levels of total solids,
crude protein,
fat,
calcium, and
phosphorus, and slightly higher content of
lactose compared with those of
cow milk. The high level of total solids makes water buffalo milk ideal for processing into value-added dairy products such as cheese. The
conjugated linoleic acid content in water buffalo milk ranged from 4.4 mg/g fat in September to 7.6 mg/g fat in June. Seasons and genetics may play a role in variation of CLA level and changes in gross composition of water buffalo milk.[68]
Water buffalo milk is processed into a large variety of
dairy products, including:
Creamchurns much faster at higher fat levels and gives higher overrun than cow cream.[69]
Butter from water buffalo cream displays more stability than that from cow cream.[69]
Ghee from water buffalo milk has a different texture with a bigger grain size than ghee from cow milk.[69]
Soft cheeses include
mozzarella in Italy, karish, mish and madhfor in Iraq, alghab in Syria,
kesong puti in the Philippines, and vladeasa in Romania.[69]
Water buffalo meat, sometimes called "carabeef", is often passed off as beef in certain regions, and is also a major source of export revenue for India. In many Asian regions, water buffalo meat is less preferred due to its toughness; however, recipes have evolved (rendang, for example) where the slow cooking process and spices not only make the meat palatable, but also preserve it, an important factor in hot climates where refrigeration is not always available.[citation needed]
Their hides provide tough and useful leather, often used for shoes.[citation needed]
Bone and horn products
The bones and horns are often made into jewellery, especially earrings. Horns are used for the embouchure of musical instruments, such as ney and kaval.[71]
Environmental effects
Wildlife conservation scientists have started to recommend and use introduced populations of feral water buffaloes in far-away lands to manage uncontrolled vegetation growth in and around natural
wetlands. Introduced water buffaloes at home in such environs provide cheap service by regularly grazing the uncontrolled vegetation and opening up clogged water bodies for
waterfowl, wetland birds, and other wildlife.[72][73] Grazing water buffaloes are sometimes used in Great Britain for
conservation grazing, such as in the Chippenham Fen National Nature Reserve. The water buffaloes can better adapt to wet conditions and poor-quality vegetation than cattle.[74]
In uncontrolled circumstances, though, water buffaloes can cause environmental damage, such as trampling vegetation, disturbing bird and reptile nesting sites, and spreading exotic weeds.[75]
There have been many attempts at creating hybrids between domestic cattle and domestic water buffaloes, however, to date, none have been successful; the embryos usually only get to the
8-cell stage before failing.[77]
Cloning
The first cloned water buffalos were born in 2007. Chinese scientists used
micromanipulation-based
somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) produce several clones of a swamp-type water buffalo. Three calves were born; two died young.[78]
In 2007, the PCC announced plans to clone the swamp-type water buffalo. The plan was to use as a tool for genetic improvement in water buffaloes to produce "super buffalo calves" by multiplying existing
germplasms, but without modifying or altering
genetic material.[79] An 2009
Voice of America article says the PCC is "close to producing the world's first water buffalo clone".[80]
In 2009,
National Dairy Research Institute (
Karnal, India) cloned a river-type water buffalo using a simplified SCNT procedure they called "
handmade cloning".[78] The calf, named Samrupa, did not survive more than a week due to
genetic defects. A few months later, a second cloned calf named Garima was successfully born.[81] The
Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes, India's premier research institute on water buffaloes, also became the second institute in the world to successfully clone the water buffalo in 2016.[82]
Some ethnic groups, such as
Batak and
Toraja in Indonesia and the
Derung in China, sacrifice water buffaloes or kerbau (called horbo in Batak or tedong in Toraja) at several festivals.
The
Minangkabau of
WestSumatra adorn their houses and clothing with motifs based on the buffalo's horns as a tribute to the
legend that pitted a buffalo (kabau) chosen by their kingdom against one by (traditionally) the
Majapahit empire, to which their kingdom won.[84]
In Chinese tradition, the water buffalo is associated with a contemplative life.[85]
A water buffalo head was a symbol of death in Tibet.[85]
The carabao is considered a
national symbol of the Philippines, although this has no basis in Philippine law.[86]
In Indian mythology, evil is often represented by the water buffalo. The Hindu god of death,
Yama, rides on a water buffalo.[87]
A male water buffalo is sacrificed in many parts of India during festivals associated
Shaktism sect of Hinduism.[88][89][90]
In
Gujarat and some parts of
Rajasthan in India, mostly in
Rayka, as well as many other communities, many worship the goddess Vihat, who uses a male water buffalo as her
Vahana. Also, the goddess Varahi in Indian culture is shown to possess a water buffalo and ride it.
According to folklore,
Mahishasura, a half-buffalo and half-human demon, was killed by the goddess
Durga.
In
Vietnam, water buffaloes are often the most valuable possession of poor farmers.
Many ethnic groups use the horns of water buffaloes as a game trophy, or for musical instruments and ornaments. Similarly, the
water buffalo is the second animal zodiac in the
Vietnamese zodiac.
The horns of water buffaloes sacrificed in West Sumba Regency,
c. 1936
Fighting festivals
The Pasungay Festival is held annually in the town of
San Joaquin, Iloilo, the
Philippines.
The Moh juj Water Buffalo Fighting Festival is held every year in
Bhogali Bihu in Assam.[94]
The Do Son Water Buffalo Fighting Festival of Vietnam is held each year on the ninth day of the eighth month of the
lunar calendar at
Do Son Township,
Haiphong City,
Vietnam. It is one of the most popular Vietnam festivals and events in Haiphong City. The preparations for this buffalo fighting festival begin from the two to three months earlier. The competing water buffalo are selected and methodically trained months in advance. It is a traditional festival of Vietnam attached to a Water God worshiping ceremony and the Hien Sinh custom to show the martial spirit of the local people of Do Son, Haiphong.[95][96]
The Hai Luu Water Buffalo Fighting Festival of Vietnam has existed since the second century BC. General Lu Gia, at that time, had the water buffalo slaughtered to give a feast to the local people and the warriors, and organized buffalo fighting for amusement. Eventually, all the fighting water buffaloes will be slaughtered as tributes to the deities.[97][98]
The
Ko Samui Water Buffalo Fighting Festival of Thailand is a popular event held on special occasions such as New Year's Day in January, and
Songkran in mid-April. This festival features head-wrestling bouts in which two male water buffaloes are pitted against one another. Unlike in
Spanish-style bullfighting, wherein bulls get killed while fighting sword-wielding men, the festival held at
Ko Samui is a fairly harmless contest. The fighting season varies according to ancient customs and ceremonies. The first water buffalo to turn and run away is considered the loser; the winning water buffalo becomes worth several million baht.[99]
The Ma'Pasilaga Tedong Water Buffalo Fighting Festival, in
Tana Toraja Regency of
Sulawesi Island, Indonesia, is a popular event where the Rambu Solo or a Burial Festival takes place in Tana Toraja.
The Carabao Carroza Festival is held annually every May in the town of
Pavia, Iloilo, the Philippines.
The
Kambala races of
Karnataka, India, take place between October and March.[100] The races are conducted by having the water buffaloes (bulls) run in long parallel slushy ditches, where they are driven by men standing on wooden planks drawn by the water buffaloes. The objectives of the race are to finish first and to raise the water to the greatest height. It is also a rural sport. Kambala races are arranged with competition, as well as without competition, and as a part of thanksgiving (to God) in about 50 villages of coastal Karnataka.
The Chon Buri water buffalo racing festival, in downtown
Chonburi, 70 km (43 mi) south of
Bangkok, an annual water buffalo festival is held in mid-October. About 300 water buffaloes race in groups of five or six, spurred on by bareback jockeys wielding wooden sticks, as hundreds of spectators cheer. The water buffalo has always played an important role in agriculture in Thailand. For the farmers, it is an important festival. It is also a celebration among rice farmers before the rice harvest. At dawn, farmers walk their water buffaloes through the surrounding rice fields, splashing them with water to keep them cool before leading them to the race field.
The
Babulang water buffalo racing festival in
Sarawak, Malaysia, is the largest or grandest of the many rituals, ceremonies and festivals of the traditional
Bisaya community of Limbang, Sarawak. Highlights are the Ratu Babulang competition and the water buffalo races, which can only be found in this town in
Sarawak, Malaysia.
At the Vihear Suor village water buffalo racing festival, Cambodia, each year, people visit Buddhist temples across the country to honor their deceased loved ones during a 15-day period commonly known as the
Festival of the Dead, but in Vihear Suor village, about 22 mi (35 km) northeast of
Phnom Penh, citizens each year wrap up the festival with a water buffalo race to entertain visitors and honour a pledge made hundreds of years ago. There was a time when many village cattle which provide rural Cambodians with muscle power to plow their fields and transport agricultural products died from an unknown disease. The villagers prayed to a spirit to help save their animals from the disease and promised to show their gratitude by holding a water buffalo race each year on the last day of the "P'chum Ben" festival, as it is known in Cambodia. The race draws hundreds of spectators, who come to see riders and their animals charge down the racing field, the racers bouncing up and down on the backs of their water buffaloes, whose horns were draped with colorful cloth.[citation needed]
A water buffalo race at Vandar village, Udupi district, India
Religious festival
The Pulilan Carabao Festival is held annually every 14 and 15 May in the
Philippine town of
Pulilan in honor of
St. Isidore the Laborer, the patron saint of farmers. As thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest every year, farmers parade their carabaos in the main town street, adorning them with garlands and other decorations. One of the highlights of the festival is the kneeling of the carabaos in front of the parish church.[103]
Zebu – the common breed of domestic cattle from India
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