Today, the largest of the buffalo family is the Indian buffalo, which is also called Water buffalo or Asian Arnie. The homeland of this large artiodactyl is India. The name "Asian" animal received because of its typical habitat - Asia, "water" - because buffaloes cannot live without water. Interesting cases are known when a buffalo harnessed to a cart, meeting a body of water on the way, lay in the water and lay there for a long time, and no force could pull it out of there.

general information

The Asian buffalo has six subspecies, they are united by common characteristic external features: powerful horns, semicircular, slightly curled back. They are formidable weapons and are equally dangerous to both animals and humans.

The height of the buffalo reaches 2 meters, the average weight is 900 kg, but it can reach 1200 kg. Body length reaches 4 meters, legs are long in comparison with other species of congeners. Buffalo females are much smaller than males. In their natural environment, the life expectancy of buffalo is quite high - they live up to 26 years.

Indian buffalo

It is interesting. In the natural environment, they live in herds, obeying the leader - the oldest bull. In case of a threat, they first try to escape from predators. If this fails, then regroup in order to fight back.

Buffalo in India is common with cows, which are considered sacred in this country and calmly walk the streets. Currently, the buffalo is gradually mixing with them, losing its authenticity. As a species, it currently exists in reserves and parks.

These huge animals are also common in the territories of Asia and Australia, where there is a mandatory round-the-clock access to water.

Evolution of wild buffaloes in relation to domestication

Buffalo (cattle)

Domesticated animals differ from their wild relatives in a calmer disposition. Due to the fact that domestic buffaloes are most often used as a draft force, they have lost some of the features characteristic of wild artiodactyls. So, for example, their body lost its former elasticity and harmony, it became heavier, a sagging belly appeared.

It should be noted that water plays an important role in the life of these artiodactyls:

  • due to the underdevelopment of the sweat glands, buffaloes cannot stand the heat, so water is a source of cooling for them;
  • more than 70% of animal feed is river vegetation;
  • birds living near water help artiodactyls to cope with parasites.

Disadvantages and advantages of Arnie's buffalo

On the farm, buffaloes are used as draft power instead of horses, since neither meat nor milk is suitable for consumption. The milk is too fat and is only used to make cheese and as feed for calves. The meat, even of a young buffalo calf, is too tough.

Indian water buffalo

Indian cucumber

As domestic cattle, buffaloes are unpretentious in their diet, they easily adapt to their living environment, and are highly fertile with normal care. Therefore, today they can be found in many European farms. However, they are only suitable as draft force.

Attention! Some elite cheeses are made from buffalo milk.

Breeding at home

African buffalo

The water buffalo does not require special maintenance.Animals are hardy, unpretentious in keeping, resistant to adverse conditions. Show good fertility.

Important! The main condition for keeping them at home is grazing in open pasture and access to water, preferably standing water. Swampy lakes or slow-flowing rivers are great.

The main diet consists of aquatic plants:

  • seaweed;
  • marsh herbs;
  • meadow plants.

Sexual maturation in females begins after 3 years, but the ability to conceive appears after another two years. The uterus carries the calf for about 10 months. After birth, the baby is already in 15 minutes able to stand up and follow the mother.

Shepherds do not graze buffaloes with domestic cattle, as there may be clashes between wild animals and domestic bulls. Sometimes there are real battles over cows, where the wild representative is always the winner. In addition, the mating of wild bulls with domestic cows leads to a decrease in fertility and a decrease in milk yield. And calves born from such a bond are distinguished by their aggressiveness and rebellious disposition. Therefore, buffaloes are grazed separately.

On the farm, they compare favorably with cows and horses, since they need half the amount of feed to feed in winter, which must be stored in summer. Since these animals are thermophilic, there is a possibility that they may not survive the cold, typical for most regions of Russia. Nevertheless, there are facts indicating that these animals can be raised in the country.

Domestic buffalo

Farmers Tips

Farmers who risk breeding these exotic artiodactyls willingly share their experience of breeding at home. According to some livestock breeders, heat-loving animals do not always successfully adapt to the cold conditions of Russian winters. Other farmers say that buffaloes do an excellent job of tough conditions.

At first, buffaloes will not bring profit, since they are herd animals with an established organization and the absence of some members of the herd can negatively affect the rest. Therefore, farmers recommend breeding at least one hundred heads. In this case, it will be possible to talk about profit.

Important! Domesticated buffalo meat is considered exotic and costs about twice as much as veal. It is often ordered by owners of exotic restaurants. Veterinarians recommend buffalo meat as a dietary product for the elderly, as it does not contain a lot of fat and carbohydrates.

Thus, domesticated buffaloes have a number of advantages and are interesting enough to breed. However, farmers should be aware of a number of characteristics, such as mandatory access to water and an unpredictable nature.