The water buffalo has an interesting history. It is an asian beast, but has been closely tied to human civilization since the beginning. They were introduced early on to the Middle East and Africa, and in Medieval times, European Crusaders brought them back home. Some of those herds are still in existence in Italy and Bulgaria. There weren't any sizeable populations in North American until the 1970s, but now there are herds in several US states. India and China depend on them for milk and meat.
The water buffalo is not to be confused with the American bison or the Cape Buffalo. Especially to their faces. They hate that.
UPDATE: The original photo I had posted here turned out NOT to be a water buffalo (contrary to the photo's taker), and was, in fact, a Cape Buffalo. So I've swapped the photo. Thanks fo the correction, Stormy Dragon.
Photo source: Wikipedia 
Dec 11, 2007
Interesting History
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7 comments:
Love your blog. My daughter turned me on to it. Her kids love it too.
Things often sold in the US as "buffalo" are water buffalo. Ads will lead unsuspecting consumers to believe items are American bison. There are American bison web sites where you can buy fiber to spin, yarn to knit, or knitted and felted items. But the poor bison usually gives his life for these products since their temperment isn't given to simple brushing or clipping. Good news is they are in good supply and specifically raised for meat and by products.
Thanks for the compliment, wudas. Also, thanks for the info. I didn't know that about the unsuspecting consumers and the fibers.
The mozzarella made from their milk is also EXTREMELY sought after. I’ve never tasted it myself but I’ve heard it’s amazing
>The water buffalo is not to be
>confused with the American bison
>or the Cape Buffalo. Especially
>to their faces. They hate that.
Pssst...
That's a photo of a Cape Buffalo
Stormy dragon...
It certainly does look an awful lot like a cape buffalo, but I can't seem to find a difinitive shot of what a water buffalo looks like (many of them listed in a Google image search look just like this one). In the end, I had to go with what the photographer listed the animal as.
No matter what it is, you've got to love the ears!
Water buffalo
Note the backward curving horns and the lack of the bony mass on top of the head as compared to your picture.
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