Thai Buffaloes Reach New Lows

[george]

Thai buffaloes reach new lows

BANGKOK: -- Only 25 years ago Thailand had more than six million buffaloes, more than any other country in the world, but today the country's buffalo population has sunk to a mere 1.49 million due to the introduction of agricultural technology and the growing popularity of buffalo meat, according to data released today by the Department of Livestock Development.

Mr. Sahas Nilphan, the department’s deputy director-general, said that while in 1980 most farming households raised 20-30 buffaloes, by last year this figure had declined to a mere 2-3 buffaloes per farm.

At the same time, buffalo meat was becoming increasingly popular, with Thais consuming around 500,000 buffaloes each year, of which 300,000 were domestically raised and the remainder imported.

Although the Department of Livestock Development does not have a master plan for boosting buffalo numbers, it draws up annual plans for buffalo conservation, and works to develop buffalo breeds.

On 12-14 May the department will hold its 11th Buffalo Festival, which will be launched under the slogan ‘Thai buffaloes: Thai heritage, Global heritage 2.

Included in the event will be buffalo races and competitions and ploughing races conducted by foreigners.

--TNA 2005-05-06

[mr_lob]

so maybe the story about the 'buffalo sick' really was true!

but sod the brother 'have accident motorbike'

and 'mother sa-tay hospital, must pay for doctor' - it won't wash

[Sphere]

Only 25 years ago Thailand had more than six million buffaloes, more than any other country in the world, but today the country's buffalo population has sunk to a mere 1.49 million due to the introduction of agricultural technology and the growing popularity of buffalo meat, according to data released today by the Department of Livestock Development.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It could also be that most of them have had cosmetic surgery and are now occupying positions of power in various echelons of government and industry.

[Khutan]

so maybe the story about the 'buffalo sick' really was true!....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

LOL

[astral]

I thought the Buffalo had been phased out in favour of the E-Tan,

multl-purpose engine.

Did they check the Buffalo Bank for the missing animals, no I am not joking.

There is a Bank where you can rent a buffalo for a period of time,

then return it for someone else to use.

I am not sure what the interest rate is, but the loan is a performing one,

as it supplies manure as well.

[billd766]

My wife won't eat Buffalo meat, most other types of meat but not Buffalo, and she is not a country girl born and bred.

[Erwin1011]

Only 25 years ago Thailand had more than six million buffaloes, more than any other country in the world, but today the country's buffalo population has sunk to a mere 1.49 million due to the introduction of agricultural technology and the growing popularity of buffalo meat, according to data released today by the Department of Livestock Development.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It could also be that most of them have had cosmetic surgery and are now occupying positions of power in various echelons of government and industry.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Khutan]

My wife won't eat Buffalo meat, most other types of meat but not Buffalo, and she is not a country girl born and bred.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Its quite nice if you cook it properly. Just about the same as steak.

[taxexile]

There is a Bank where you can rent a buffalo for a period of time,

then return it for someone else to use.

its called pattaya , with branches in sukhumvit , patpong and patong.

[astral]

There is a Bank where you can rent a buffalo for a period of time,

then return it for someone else to use.

its called pattaya , with branches in sukhumvit , patpong and patong.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No. These buffalos have two horns.

Where you are talking about it is the farang who has the horn.

[The_Other_Mac]

I was expecting a thread about falling educational standards in rural schools...

[bina]

astral  Posted Today, 2005-05-07 08:17:49

  I thought the Buffalo had been phased out in favour of the E-Tan,

multl-purpose engine.

Did they check the Buffalo Bank for the missing animals, no I am not joking.

There is a Bank where you can rent a buffalo for a period of time,

then return it for someone else to use.

I am not sure what the interest rate is, but the loan is a performing one,

as it supplies manure as well. biggrin.gif

the loan was based on breeding and keeping one calf and then percentage of calves per female/male, the King developed the program to strengthen the buffalos since thai were selling the big sturdy ones for meat and the less big ones were breeding stock so the buffalo genetics reduced to low quality. the idea was to develop a breeding program to get the larger stronger buffalo again. also many thai farmers were castrating the bigger bulls and therefore losing out on breeding stock... bad animal husbandry.

its no joke; in the states, many breeds of donkey, goat cow have become whats called heirloom quality and lpeople pay tons of $$ for maintaining the breeds for show and heritage pride... you'll see, the buffalo will come back in style when thai yuppies 'return to their roots' and will want to have a buffalo for prestige (like people here breed white cyprus donkeys, lots of $$$, they used to be working animals, now its just for show)

King's

Buffalo Bank for Farmers

Story by Tasanee Yawaprapas

Pictures by Uthorm Sriphantha

The pen with the names of the farmers receiving the service from the Buffalo Bank "Buffalo bank is a concept in which buffaloes and oxen are put together under a proper accounting system for due maintenance, distribution and rental for various purposes. Following the banking system, it is designed to benefit agriculture while increasing the number of buffaloes."

"The buffalo babk is a truly new concept that arises from the necessity of the present when machinery is widely used in agribusiness. The rising prices of gasoline make machinery less cost-effective, so farmers have to turn to the animals which they used to rely upon before machinery took over. But the return proves to be problematic, as money is needed to buy buffaloes to work on the fields."

"The buffalo bank is reminiscent of commercial banks which are, by definition, involved in operations of useful and valuable matters. The establishment of buffalo banks, however, does not involve construction of factories to keep buffaloes and oxwen. Only centers are needed. The Livestock Department, for example, can serve the purpose."

"Those who wish to make donations to the bank need not give buffaloes or oxen. The donation can be in the form of money...."

The above is an excerpt from an address given by His Majesty the King to a group of farmers who had been given a royal audience in the grounds of His Majesty's agricultural projects at Chitralada Palce on Farmers's Day, May 14, 1980.

The project was inspired by His Majesty's visit to royal sponsored projects in Prachin Buri Province, where he saw the hardship of poor farmers. The farmers had to rent buffaloes and cows at such exprbitant rates that sometimes they were left penniless after the rent had been deducted from the sales of their produce.

His Majesty thus thought of setting up a buffalo bank to give poor farmers access to buffaloes either by renting or hire-purchase. The first such bank was set up in 1979. Eventually, by order of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Livestock Department took over the project.

His Majesty's objective in setting up the buffalo bank is to help raise the living standard of poor farmers, who can buy buffaloes from the bank at reasonable prices or on easy long-term hire-purchase plan. Those in need of buffalo during the planting season can also rent an animal at an inexpensive rate.

Services provided by the bank can be classified into five different categories, as follows:

1. Loan of buffalo for breeding purposes. Under this plan, a poor farmer can borrow a female buffalo from the bank. One year after it has given birth, the farmer can keep the calf and return the mother to the bank, but if he wants to keep the mother so that he can have more calves, he can obtain approval from the bank or the Provincial Livestock Office under the following arrangement: The first, third and fifth calves subsequently born must be given to the bank one year after their birth while the farmer can keep, the second, fourth and sixth for himself.

2. Leasing to enable farmers to own their own buffaloes. The easy, interest-free plan is for farmer to pay for the buffalo within three years: 40 percent the first year, 30 percent the second year, and the remaining 30 percent the third year.

3. Loan of male breeders to villages who have no less than five female buffaloes loaned by the bank for breeding purposes.

4. Buffaloes are rented to till the land at 300 baht a year per head.

5. Farmers wishing to rent livestock for services other than those mentioned above must seek approval from the Provincial Livestock Office or the bank itself.

Farmers wishing to avail themselves of the bank's services must be Thai nationals at least 20years old. They must poor, engaged in agriculture, and be willing to cooperate with bank authorities. They must not have used the service before, and must have the ability to care for the animals. The bank has a screening committee which determines the applicants qualified to receive assistance.

The public can participate in the project by donating buffaloes or money to the bank, which receives requests and distributes donated animals to farmers in various parts of country. Last year, however, 150 farmers from Damnoen Saduak in Ratchaburi Province had been selected to benefit from thr project.

Without exception, all the beneficiaries expressed deep gratitude to His Majesty and pledged that they will do their best to care for the animals. Those who received female buffaloes intend to keep them for breeding.

To date, 24,561 farmers have already benefited from the buffalo bank, most of them farmers in northern and northeastern Thailand. Members of the publice who wish to contribute to the project can contact the Special Project Office, Planning Division, Livestock Department, or call (66 2) 252-6941 or 251-5136-8, extension 191. The Livestock Department is on Phyathai Road, Rajthevi, Bangkok 10400.

King's Buffalo Bank for Farmers, KINNAREE, Thai Airways International Domestic Inflight Magazine, March 1996, P. 89-94.

Buffalo Typification

There are two types of buffaloes: wild and domesticated. Two of the most commonly found among domesticated buffaloes are :

1. Swamp Buffalo is typically found all over Southeast Asia - Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. They are usually found helping farmers in the field, or pulling transport cart. They're also normally bound for slaughterhouse when they grow too old to work. A swamp buffalo is strong, with big hooves. The slow mover has very little tolerance for heat and it loves to wallow in mud to keep away from the heat and insects. Swamp buffaloes in Thailand are very similar in size and colour (dark gray and pink if they're albinoid) as those found in Burma, Laos and Malaysia.

2. River Buffalo Common in India, Pakistan, Egypt, southern Europe. The River Buffalo is more of the milk type, loves clean water, does not enjoy wallowing in mud. The species was brought into Thailand during the reign of King RamaV and raised in government-sponsored projects.

In Thailand, buffaloes have very much been left to their own devices - not much has been done in terms of improving the stock. Only those bulls found to be too fierce are castrated. However, attention has been paid to breeding development of late, with His Majesty the King initiating the Buffalo Bank Project in Prachinburi province in 1979.

General Features of A Buffalo:

Size: A buffalo is fully grown aged between 5-8 years, weighed 520-560 kilogrammes for male and 360-440 kgs for the female. Appearance: Short, stout, with round belly, short limbs, with crescent horn.

Colour: Dark grey, and pink for albinoid buffalo.

Horn: Grows cfrom both sides of a buffalo's head. The root of the horn is square, with rugged surface, which grows smoother towards the tip. A buffalo's horn is about 60-120 cms long.

Teeth: A buffalo usually has 20 teeth in the lower jaw, 12 in the upper, with no upper front tooth.

Life Cycle : A calf would suckle until age 1.5 years. It would reach working age at 2.5-3 years, breeding between 5-8. A buffalo can work until age 20 and has average life expectancy of 25 years. A bull can breed from age 2, while a female buffalo can give birth from age three on, after 10.5 months of pregnancy. A mother can give birth to two calves within a year. Farmers usually rest a would-be mother for 2-3 weeks both pre and post natal.

Buffalo Herding : It is a common practice to have a bull lead a herd of about 25-30 female, with each herds separated by fence. Breeding buffaloes are also separated from the calves. Despite the popularity of mechanized farming, a number of Thai farmers remain faithful to buffalo keeping.

taken from info that i (compulsively i must say) collect

buffalo breeding for show/prestige may be a good investment in the future like show breeds of british /scottish cattle, ponies etc....

Edited May 7, 2005 by bina

[snoophound]

believe a buffalo was caught recently trying to swim to australia,he was arrested by immigration officials off the coast of Pattaya.

Now has new home courtesy of a concerned dignitary.

astral   Posted Today, 2005-05-07 08:17:49

   I thought the Buffalo had been phased out in favour of the E-Tan,

multl-purpose engine.

Did they check the Buffalo Bank for the missing animals, no I am not joking.

There is a Bank where you can rent a buffalo for a period of time,

then return it for someone else to use.

I am not sure what the interest rate is, but the loan is a performing one,

as it supplies manure as well. biggrin.gif

the loan was based on breeding and keeping one calf and then percentage of calves per female/male, the King developed the program to strengthen the buffalos since thai were selling the big sturdy ones for meat and the less big ones were breeding stock so the buffalo genetics reduced to low quality. the idea was to develop a breeding program to get the larger stronger buffalo again. also many thai farmers were castrating the bigger bulls and therefore losing out on breeding stock... bad animal husbandry.

its no joke; in the states, many breeds of donkey, goat cow have become whats called heirloom quality and lpeople pay tons of $$ for maintaining the breeds for show and heritage pride... you'll see, the buffalo will come back in style when thai yuppies 'return to their roots' and will want to have a buffalo for prestige (like people here breed white cyprus donkeys, lots of $$$, they used to be working animals, now its just for show)

King's

Buffalo Bank for Farmers

Story by Tasanee Yawaprapas

Pictures by Uthorm Sriphantha

The pen with the names of the farmers receiving the service from the Buffalo Bank "Buffalo bank is a concept in which buffaloes and oxen are put together under a proper accounting system for due maintenance, distribution and rental for various purposes. Following the banking system, it is designed to benefit agriculture while increasing the number of buffaloes."

"The buffalo babk is a truly new concept that arises from the necessity of the present when machinery is widely used in agribusiness. The rising prices of gasoline make machinery less cost-effective, so farmers have to turn to the animals which they used to rely upon before machinery took over. But the return proves to be problematic, as money is needed to buy buffaloes to work on the fields."

"The buffalo bank is reminiscent of commercial banks which are, by definition, involved in operations of useful and valuable matters. The establishment of buffalo banks, however, does not involve construction of factories to keep buffaloes and oxwen. Only centers are needed. The Livestock Department, for example, can serve the purpose."

"Those who wish to make donations to the bank need not give buffaloes or oxen. The donation can be in the form of money...."

The above is an excerpt from an address given by His Majesty the King to a group of farmers who had been given a royal audience in the grounds of His Majesty's agricultural projects at Chitralada Palce on Farmers's Day, May 14, 1980.

The project was inspired by His Majesty's visit to royal sponsored projects in Prachin Buri Province, where he saw the hardship of poor farmers. The farmers had to rent buffaloes and cows at such exprbitant rates that sometimes they were left penniless after the rent had been deducted from the sales of their produce.

His Majesty thus thought of setting up a buffalo bank to give poor farmers access to buffaloes either by renting or hire-purchase. The first such bank was set up in 1979. Eventually, by order of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Livestock Department took over the project.

His Majesty's objective in setting up the buffalo bank is to help raise the living standard of poor farmers, who can buy buffaloes from the bank at reasonable prices or on easy long-term hire-purchase plan. Those in need of buffalo during the planting season can also rent an animal at an inexpensive rate.

Services provided by the bank can be classified into five different categories, as follows:

1. Loan of buffalo for breeding purposes. Under this plan, a poor farmer can borrow a female buffalo from the bank. One year after it has given birth, the farmer can keep the calf and return the mother to the bank, but if he wants to keep the mother so that he can have more calves, he can obtain approval from the bank or the Provincial Livestock Office under the following arrangement: The first, third and fifth calves subsequently born must be given to the bank one year after their birth while the farmer can keep, the second, fourth and sixth for himself.

2. Leasing to enable farmers to own their own buffaloes. The easy, interest-free plan is for farmer to pay for the buffalo within three years: 40 percent the first year, 30 percent the second year, and the remaining 30 percent the third year.

3. Loan of male breeders to villages who have no less than five female buffaloes loaned by the bank for breeding purposes.

4. Buffaloes are rented to till the land at 300 baht a year per head.

5. Farmers wishing to rent livestock for services other than those mentioned above must seek approval from the Provincial Livestock Office or the bank itself.

Farmers wishing to avail themselves of the bank's services must be Thai nationals at least 20years old. They must poor, engaged in agriculture, and be willing to cooperate with bank authorities. They must not have used the service before, and must have the ability to care for the animals. The bank has a screening committee which determines the applicants qualified to receive assistance.

The public can participate in the project by donating buffaloes or money to the bank, which receives requests and distributes donated animals to farmers in various parts of country. Last year, however, 150 farmers from Damnoen Saduak in Ratchaburi Province had been selected to benefit from thr project.

Without exception, all the beneficiaries expressed deep gratitude to His Majesty and pledged that they will do their best to care for the animals. Those who received female buffaloes intend to keep them for breeding.

To date, 24,561 farmers have already benefited from the buffalo bank, most of them farmers in northern and northeastern Thailand. Members of the publice who wish to contribute to the project can contact the Special Project Office, Planning Division, Livestock Department, or call (66 2) 252-6941 or 251-5136-8, extension 191. The Livestock Department is on Phyathai Road, Rajthevi, Bangkok 10400.

King's Buffalo Bank for Farmers, KINNAREE, Thai Airways International Domestic Inflight Magazine, March 1996, P. 89-94.

Buffalo Typification

There are two types of buffaloes: wild and domesticated. Two of the most commonly found among domesticated buffaloes are :

1. Swamp Buffalo is typically found all over Southeast Asia - Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. They are usually found helping farmers in the field, or pulling transport cart. They're also normally bound for slaughterhouse when they grow too old to work. A swamp buffalo is strong, with big hooves. The slow mover has very little tolerance for heat and it loves to wallow in mud to keep away from the heat and insects. Swamp buffaloes in Thailand are very similar in size and colour (dark gray and pink if they're albinoid) as those found in Burma, Laos and Malaysia.

2. River Buffalo Common in India, Pakistan, Egypt, southern Europe. The River Buffalo is more of the milk type, loves clean water, does not enjoy wallowing in mud. The species was brought into Thailand during the reign of King RamaV and raised in government-sponsored projects.

In Thailand, buffaloes have very much been left to their own devices - not much has been done in terms of improving the stock. Only those bulls found to be too fierce are castrated. However, attention has been paid to breeding development of late, with His Majesty the King initiating the Buffalo Bank Project in Prachinburi province in 1979.

General Features of A Buffalo:

Size: A buffalo is fully grown aged between 5-8 years, weighed 520-560 kilogrammes for male and 360-440 kgs for the female. Appearance: Short, stout, with round belly, short limbs, with crescent horn.

Colour: Dark grey, and pink for albinoid buffalo.

Horn: Grows cfrom both sides of a buffalo's head. The root of the horn is square, with rugged surface, which grows smoother towards the tip. A buffalo's horn is about 60-120 cms long.

Teeth: A buffalo usually has 20 teeth in the lower jaw, 12 in the upper, with no upper front tooth.

Life Cycle : A calf would suckle until age 1.5 years. It would reach working age at 2.5-3 years, breeding between 5-8. A buffalo can work until age 20 and has average life expectancy of 25 years. A bull can breed from age 2, while a female buffalo can give birth from age three on, after 10.5 months of pregnancy. A mother can give birth to two calves within a year. Farmers usually rest a would-be mother for 2-3 weeks both pre and post natal.

Buffalo Herding : It is a common practice to have a bull lead a herd of about 25-30 female, with each herds separated by fence. Breeding buffaloes are also separated from the calves. Despite the popularity of mechanized farming, a number of Thai farmers remain faithful to buffalo keeping.

taken from info that i (compulsively i must say) collect

buffalo breeding for show/prestige may be a good investment in the future like show breeds of british /scottish cattle, ponies etc....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Scott]

I have never understood the mentality of buffalo being so bad. They are what made this country--and much of the region. They are beautiful creatures and should be venerated instead of being so maligned.

There is a small herd near where I live and when I return home, I always enjoy stopping and watching them graze by the side of the road--a major headache when they get out in the middle of rush hour traffic and then stop to decide where to go!!

[Greer]

I have never understood the mentality of buffalo being so bad.  They are what made this country--and much of the region.  They are beautiful creatures and should be venerated instead of being so maligned.

There is a small herd near where I live and when I return home, I always enjoy stopping and watching them graze by the side of the road--a major headache when they get out in the middle of rush hour traffic and then stop to decide where to go!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

...you should try driving in India...