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The Water : Domestic Anima distribution. access open Practitioners; Bovine f o Association American Copyright © of the Future

W. Ross Cockrill, D.V.M., F.R.C.V.S., Consultant, Production, Protection & Health, Food and Organization Rome,

Summary to produce the cattalo, or , a heavy - The ( bubalis) is a animal for which widely publicized claims neglected bovine animal with a notable and so far have been made. The water buffalo has never been unexploited potential, especially for meat and shown to produce offspring either fertile or sterile production. World buffalo stocks, which at when mated with , although under suitable present total 150 million in some 40 countries, are conditions a will serve female buffaloes, while increasing steadily. a male buffalo will mount cows. It is important that national stocks should be There are about 150 million water buffaloes in the upgraded by allied to improved world compared to a cattle population of around 1,- management and nutrition but, from the stand­ 165 million. This is a significant figure, especially point of increased production and the full realiza­ when it is considered that the majority of buffaloes tion of potential, it is equally important that are productive in terms of milk, work and meat, or crossbreeding should be carried out extensively any two of these outputs, whereas a high proportion of especially in association with schemes to increase the world’s cattle is economically useless. and improve production. In the majority of buffalo-owning countries, and in Meat from buffaloes which are reared and fed all those in which buffaloes make an important con­ for early slaughter is of excellent quality. Because tribution to the agricultural economy, numbers are the buffalo is a superb converter, meat can be increasing, sometimes at quite phenomenal rates. In produced at lower cost than with cattle and some extensive areas buffaloes present a substantial without the need for expensive fodders and con­ challenge to cattle. In , for example, which has centrates. the world’s largest buffalo population (at least 60 There is growing interest, in both the advanced million) the buffalo now supplies almost 70 percent of and the developing countries, in the full exploita­ all the milk used for human consumption. The pic­ tion of the domestic water buffalo, as is shown by ture is similar in where there are several the expanding international trade in breeding outstanding milk in a population of around 14 stock and the establishment of many new in million. , which has the second-largest es­ countries where the buffalo is a newcomer. The tablishment with over 30 million, utilizes her buf­ upsurge of international interest and activity is faloes almost exclusively as work and, until not yet shared by the , though the very recently, has failed to realize any of the outstand­ future for this attractive, tractable, and produc­ ing potential for milk and meat. There are in­ tive animal is one of undoubted and outstanding dications now in the People’s Republic that her promise. dynamic progress in agriculture will be extended to Introduction the fuller exploitation of her domestic animals, The water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis, is one of the among which the buffalo is one of the more important world’s most neglected domestic animals, and the one (Cockrill, 1976). with the greatest unexploited potential. The awakening awareness of the true value of the A major reason for neglect is that the buffalo exists water buffalo is shown by the following list of selected in greatest numbers in those countries, mostly in the countries and populations (in thousands), in all of East, which are referred to, sometimes which the national population is increasing and is euphemistically, as the developing countries. Until receiving official attention and support: relatively recently there have been few if any facilities Average population for research and little incentive to improve existing 1961-65 conditions. (FAO Production Population 1977 Country Yearbook) (Author’s estimate) The animal commonly referred to in Northern USSR 385 520 America as the buffalo is not, properly speaking, a 505 800 buffalo at all but a , a distant cousin bearing Burma 1,117 1,900 roughly the same tribal relationship to the true 238 340 3,067 3,900 Asian buffalo as does the to the or the 3,357 5,050 to the . The bison can be crossed with cattle 1,559 2,800

92 The domestic animals which have the greatest af­ A number of countries in America, including

finity for man are the , the and the water distribution. access open Practitioners; Bovine f o Association American Copyright © and , have recently introduced buffalo. This affinity and their docile temperament nucleus breeding stocks from , Trinidad and facilitated the taming and of buffaloes Italy. These are thriving well, as are new populations as is currently being demonstrated in Australia’s in Bolivia, , Nigeria, Mozambique and . Buffaloes were introduced from . about a hundred and fifty ago as a source Buffaloes were introduced into at the turn of of meat for the isolated military and administrative the century and there have been numerous impor­ stations. Some escaped or were turned loose and a tations since then. There are now some five distinct population quickly became established. These breeds in the country and a flourishing population of stocks are now being re-domesticated. Two weeks over a quarter of a million. In the Amazon Valley the after being rounded up in the bush and corralled for buffalo has adapted to its environment in a manner the first time they can be haltered and handled which can only be described as spectacular: the high (Cockrill, 1974). fertility rate, early maturing, and outstanding meat There are literally millions of domestic animals production capacity would indicate that within the whose output is measured in terms of work rather next three decades the buffalo will largely replace than . They are mostly cattle, equines, cattle. Given import facilities and sound manage­ and buffaloes, and they are used to , harrow ment, the animal has a bright future almost and grade the land, to pull or drays, as pack everywhere in the Americas. animals and for general draft purposes such as raising There have been buffaloes in a number of European water from deep wells or providing the power for countries for many centuries. They include , mills. Their use is extensive through most of the , and Yugoslavia. Perhaps the developing world. The tendency to regard such use as most outstanding are and Italy in both of indicative of a primitive agriculture needs to be cor­ which there are active research programs and the rected. The work animal is generally economically ef­ native buffaloes, known as the Mediterranean , ficient and is the best available means of carrying out are thriving and multiplying. Before World War II, the work to be done, especially for the small Mussolini who, like some other influential but ig­ who abound in the developing countries. Their value norant people in high places, regarded the buffalo as has been considerably increased and emphasised in indicative of a primitive and backward agriculture, recent times due to the rise in fuel costs which has hit suppressed buffalo rearing and the population declin­ the developing world particularly hard and has caus­ ed to a dangerously low level. With the fall of the ed some drastic re-thinking in many areas where Facist regime the buffalo stocks began to increase and mechanization had begun to make advances in the there are now well over 100,000 in Italy, utilized agricultural scene. Shortage of manpower is seldom a mainly for milk production with meat as an in­ problem or a stimulus to mechanization in third creasingly important sideline. The history of the world countries where the man with his one or two Italian buffalo dates back 1,000 years, during which work animals is the vital production unit. time there have been no recorded imports. The Only in countries where manpower availability is Mediterranean buffalo is a stocky, pleasing, high- low and oil fuel is cheap, plentiful and readily ob­ yielding animal which combines both meat and milk tained is there an economic agrument for relegating characteristics. Some of the world’s most advanced the work animal to history. Although draft animals buffalo enterprises are located in the southern half of have virtually disappeared from the western world, Italy and the breed is attracting a growing amount of elsewhere their numbers are declining only slowly. attention by Latin American and African importers They will long retain the place they have held in (Figure 5). agriculture for the past four or five thousand years In much of the developing world the buffalo is (Mason, 1974). primarily a work animal. In the Indian sub-continent As mechanization advances, however slowly, it it is the supreme milk producer. Meat is a byproduct is important that the stocks of animals traditional­ from labour and milk production but it is now emerg­ ly bred for work, as were the oxen of , ing as probably the most important aspect of buffalo should not disappear. These are the nucleus productivity for the future. breeding stocks of tomorrow’s and The Working Buffalo they represent an enormously important genetic From time immemorial the buffalo has been the potential. Buffaloes have been bred for weight and of the world’s padi lands, and an in­ muscle power, the qualities which must be ex­ tegral factor in the production of rice, which is the ploited in the production of meat (Figure 1). basic food of one-half of the world’s human popula­ The swamp buffalo is the commonest working tion. The original habitat was northern India and breed, but many of the breeds are also good south China, and there is a history of domestication work animals. In the East, the hardy, nondescript, reaching back to at least 2,500 B.C. They were first mongrel desi buffaloes of no recognisable breed are domesticated in the great riverine civilizations of the commonly used on the roads as both draft and pack and Tigris, the Indus and the . animals.

93 The Milch Buffalo the mud plaster provide protection against solar Roderick Macgregor (1941) of Malaya, a radiation and biting insects. veterinarian and pioneer buffalo worker, classified While the buffalo is a remarkably versatile animal distribution. access open Practitioners; Bovine f o Association American Copyright © the animals as falling into swamp and river groups, it is not adaptable in the physiological sense. It suf­ and it is convenient to consider all the breeds and fers discomfort if subjected to the direct rays of the types under these two headings. sun for any length of time or if worked or driven ex­ The swamp buffalo is a breed in its own right. It cessively. If exposure is prolonged the distress has an outstanding potential for meat production and becomes acute, and prostration and death may follow is capable, under suitable management, of producing quickly. Although by nature a semi-aquatic animal, a satisfactory yield of milk. It is widespread the wallow is not strictly necessary to its well-being. throughout southern China, Indochina, , Buffaloes can thrive anywhere provided there is , Philippines, and other countries suitable , ample drinking water and sufficient of the Far East. shade to enable them to avoid the heat of the day. In The river buffaloes include the milking breeds of temperate climes exposure to cold winds, drafts and India and Pakistan and some European countries. chill rain also induces stress. Macgregor, commenting on the wallowing proclivities By far the greater number of breeds are in the river of buffaloes, observed that the swamp types in category, are primarily milk animals and originate in general prefer a mudhole in which they like to acquire India and Pakistan. a generous plastering of mud, while the river types Buffaloes may sometimes yield less milk than cows tend to favour ponds of slowly flowing water (Figure maintained under identical conditions but in India, 2). for example, the average milking buffalo gives much All breeds present a picture of complete bliss when more milk than the average milking cow. The average immersed in a wallow, whatever may be its nature. annual milk production of 491 kg for the buffalo in In­ They chew the with half-closed eyes and utter dia is 2.8 times higher than the annual average of 173 typical deep sighs of contentment. The wallow and kg for the cow. The number of buffaloes producing

Main Type Breed Production Swamp Swamp Mainly used for work; exhibits There are a great many great versatility and muscular local varieties, varying power. greatly in size, colour The potential for meat production and markings. None of is outstanding. these can be accorded Small scale milk production from separate breed status. Working animals is general. are massive and grow outward from the head in a semi-circle. River Murrah Primarily milk producers, or dual Nili-Ravi purpose milk/meat animals. Kundi (Figure 3) Most breeds have good Mehsana characteristics. Sambalpur Jafarabadi Homs curled and set close to head: may be downswept. Surti (Figure 4) The production of beef type Mediterranean (Figure 5) by females with Egyptian beef type males, such as the Swamp, should be greatly Tarai extended. Nagpuri Crossbreeding offers great Pandharpuri opportunities and should be Manda encouraged. Jerangi Kalahandi Toda Kanara Homs sickle-shaped and upswept. Desi Mongrel Mainly working animals: ploughing, Local types, nondescript harrowing, road haulage and and usually the result of general draft purposes. haphazard, uncontrolled Small milk production. breeding. Homs may be of Usually good beef potential. any description but are most usually curled.

94 more than 2 kg per day is 188 per 1,000 against the breeds. Two calves in three years is usual, though

corresponding figure of 3 per 1,000 in cows (Shah, with good management a every 14 months is distribution. access open Practitioners; Bovine f o Association American Copyright © 1967). possible from the age of 3-1/2 years to 18 or more. The In well-managed buffalo yields per lac­ buffalo is remarkable for its long productive life. tation of 1,000 kg are common. In the best enterprises The dairy buffalo approximates closely to the in Italy, with twice-daily machine milking and a lac­ dairy cow in many of its characteristics. Methods tation period of 280 days, an average daily yield of 7 of breeding, husbandry, and feeding for milk kg has become a routine. State and military farms in production that have proved successful for the cow India and Pakistan record similar yields. In Bulgaria can be applied equally to the dairy buffalo (Kay, buffaloes often attain a yield of 2,000-2,500 kg per 1974). The buffalo has qualities of docility, normal period of 300 days while exceptional longevity, and feed conversion possessed by no yields in excess of 3,000 kg have been recorded. other domestic animal. The milk is very rich in both and in non- solids, but is otherwise closely similar in The Beef Buffalo chemical composition, physical properties and The classic procedure of mating dairy cows with acceptability to cows’ milk. The average butterfat beef and raising the calves for early slaughter content is 7 to 8 percent. By feeding on a high con­ can be profitably applied to buffaloes. The produc­ centrate level it can exceed 15 percent. tion of buffalo meat from dairy herds by the use of A great variety of , including the beef type males, for example of the swamp breed, on dehydrated clarified form known as which is the such milking breeds as the Kundi, the Surti and the cooking medium favoured by all Muslims and Hin­ Mediterranean offers opportunity for development. dus, and of are made from buffalo milk. The use of deep-frozen semen and the general Many of the cheeses, such as the Italian application of call for research and , the gemir of Iraq, the cincho of and investigation to bring the techniques to the level Venezuela, and the pecorino of Bulgaria are rare of efficiency attained in cattle. delicacies. Buffalo-milk and are also The value and importance of the working buffalo worthy of mention. and the milking buffalo have obscured the outstand­ It has been postulated that the water buffalo has ing potential of the animal for meat production. little or no genetic potential for increased production While much can be done to increase work output and of milk. This statement is often advanced during to improve milk yield and quality, it is in the realm of revivals of the sterile buffalo versus cow argument, meat production in both developing and advanced but the evidence is insubstantial or sophistic. Kurien countries that the buffalo can make its greatest con­ (1970), analysing the production performance of buf­ tribution. faloes and of indigenous and crossbred cows, noted The water buffalo is the ideal animal for feedlots. It that, in 1957, 0.18 percent of buffaloes in India had a is a highly efficient converter, it is not liable to many daily milk production of over 12 kg. A less com­ of the stresses which afflict cattle, by nature it is prehensive survey made in 1937 indicated that 0.10 placid and non-aggressive, and it can be herded and percent of buffaloes were producing 12.6 to 14.4 kg of handled with ease. Normal cattle feedlot practices milk daily. The next most productive 40 percent of would require only minor and inexpensive adapta­ buffaloes were producing some 4.5 kg daily in 1957. tion. All buffalo calves should be dishorned at or Use of the top 0.1 percent as nucleus stock, to be bred before the age of 6 months. Males should be castrated with the next most productive 30 percent of buffaloes at the same time. Shade must be provided but could be expected to produce a buffalo with a lacta­ wallows are not necessary, though routine spraying tion yield and conversion efficiency equal to that of would be beneficial. most crossbred cows in India. The potential for The buffalo is a bovine animal and there is greater production of milk is at least as good as that of nothing peculiar about its flesh. It does not have a the cows. The same author points to the buffalo as an “ buffalo flavour.” It is not second best to cattle efficient converter of the coarse roughages which are a beef. It can stand on its own merits and deserves byproduct of most farms and which are unsuitable for recognition as a meat fit to rank with the best of cows. beef by a meat-hungry but discriminating public. Depending upon breed, environment and manage­ There are no significant differences. The two ment, the daily milk yield of buffaloes ranges from are closely similar in chemical and physical the 2 to 4 litres produced by a working draft female to properties. Buffalo meat differs from cattle meat the 16 litres or more of the exceptionally heavy- only in having less fat and being more tender. yielding dairy animal. Buffaloes which combine milk Results obtained in Bulgaria and Yugoslavia show­ production with work naturally give a lower milk ed daily weight gains of over 1 kg. De Franciscis yield than those maintained exclusively for milk. (1971) in Italy, and Mesbah, et al. (1973), in Egypt The lactation period is usually 270 to 300 days. have convincingly demonstrated that the early wean­ Yields vary with breed, location, nutrition and ing of buffalo calves and subsequent rearing for beef management from 500 to over 3,000 litres. The gesta­ production, with slaughter at around one of age tion period is approximately 310 days for most at a live-weight of 300-320 kg, is perfectly feasible. A

95 highly satisfactory yield of top-quality beef is ob­ Australia, Bulgaria, Egypt, India, Italy, Romania, tained at a much lower cost than with cattle. Dressed Trinidad, U.S.S.R. and Yugoslavia (FAO, 1977). © Copyright American Association o f Bovine Practitioners; open access distribution. access open Practitioners; Bovine f o Association American Copyright © carcass percentages range between 50 and 58 percent The buffalo is an animal not of the past but for the and the meat component is around 70 percent of the future. An important part of that future lies in its meat-bone total. potential as a source of quality meat. If the buffalo is Much useful work on buffalo meat production has reared and fed for meat production the meat is been done in Australia in recent years. It is only since tender, palatable, of high quality and acceptable to 1968 that the production of the feral buffaloes has the consumer. It can be obtained at less expense and come to be appreciated. Until then the buffaloes of with fewer inputs than that from cattle and, in the Northern Territory had been regarded as a pest, tropical and sub-tropical countries particularly, at a to be cropped for the hides as expedient, and much earlier age. eliminated if possible. The work of Tulloch (1970, Health 1974), who first studied the behaviour of the feral buf­ It is unfortunate that some of the best buffaloes, es­ faloes and who demonstrated the ease with which pecially those of the river breeds, exist in areas where they can be tamed and domesticated, has opened the the incidence of certain infections or contagious dis­ way to a new industry in the of Australia’s eases is such that many countries, and in particular Northern Territory. those in the West, refuse to countenance the importa­ Charles and Johnson (1972:1975) have tion of these animals. Some developing countries, demonstrated that buffalo carcasses are well suited to following the example of most of the advanced ones, the lean meat market and have a higher dressing-out will not accept the risk of importing from such percentage than those of the . They have sources even when such risks can be reduced to shown that makes little difference to the negligible proportions. Systems of close and prolong­ carcass characteristics of the swamp buffalo, and that ed quarantine, under maximum security conditions, even on high-gain rations the carcasses will be lean. allowing for the application of detailed tests with con­ Average weight gains in four feedlot groups, each of stant veterinary supervision, at both export and im­ five 200 to 300 kg, 11 to 20-month-old steers, fed port points, minimize the danger and render possible lucerne or pellet rations for 3 to 5 months were 0.5 the introduction of nucleus breeding herds of ap­ to 0.74 kg/day. Fattening periods were three to five propriate breeds even into countries where buffaloes months and slaughter was at liveweights of 300 to 480 have not previously existed. It is considered kg. It is suggested that buffalo steers will only become worthwhile to accept such greatly reduced risk in overfat after prolonged feeding to weights well above order to add a highly productive source of protein to commercial targets. Excess fat, i.e., over 20 percent, animal agriculture. was produced only after a long stay in the feedlot and The water buffalo must be seen as an animal with a in the oldest of the steers. A comparative study which phenomenal production future, not only in tropical confirmed the resistance of the buffalo to fattening and sub-tropical countries but in many of those in was made with Hereford, Friesian, Angus and swamp temperate zones also. The dairying and meat produc­ buffalo steers which were fed concentrate rations tion industries, which have had an important sup­ from 3 to 7 months. All breeds except the Angus put porting role in the evolution of social systems, are now on the same amount of muscle but differing amounts taking a leading position in raising standards of liv­ of fat. The buffaloes finished with must leaner car­ ing. casses. As a bovine animal the buffalo is as susceptible to For many centuries buffaloes were bred and kept the majority of infectious conditions as are cattle. for work. This led to the evolution of animals of Opinions are sometimes expressed that water buf­ powerful muscular development. Until relatively re­ faloes are resistant or even immune to many of the in­ cent times little attention was given to the exploita­ fections of cattle and other species. It is true that tion of this potential for quality meat supplies. Most some diseases are less prevalent in buffaloes than in of the buffalo meat was, and still is, derived from cattle or are less harmful; others, however, are more animals slaughtered in emergency or at the end of a prevalent and more harmful, while a limited number useful working or productive life. As a result, the of disease conditions and parasitisms of minor meat is generally of poor quality and is often unat­ economic importance appear to be specific to buf­ tractive in appearance. Rearing buffaloes for meat faloes. Reaction to some diseases seems to vary with production is still in the early stages of organization geographical location, environment and breed, but it but already shows promise of rapid expansion in can be accepted that unvaccinated buffaloes have lit­ many countries. The wide variation in size and tle or no resistance to the major epizootics such as weight of buffaloes in different countries, ranging and foot-and-mouth disease. The myth of from 250 to 1,000 kg or more, indicates a considerable their immunity to and the infectious in­ potential for selection for breeding. However, it is fertilities has long since been exploded. In the vital to ensure that improvements in management, author’s experience is not of such frequent nutrition and health protection keep pace with breed occurrence as in cattle and is seldom seen in the acute development. Research programs on many aspects of form. Similarly, pathogenic processes of the feet, meat production are underway at centres in such as foot rot and foot abscess, are extremely rare in

96 Figure 1. Harrowing a padi field before planting rice in the Philip­ Figure 2. River buffaloes wallowing. (FAO photo by A. Welle) . The breed is the Swamp buffalo, which frequently weighs over 1,000 kg. (FAO photo)

Figure 3. Kundi buffalo, Pakistan. (Photo by Abdul Wahid)

Figure 4. Male , India. (FAO photo by Peyton John­ Figure 5. Mediterranean buffalo, Caserta, Italy. (FAO photo by son) Peyton Johnson)

97 buffaloes. There is a noticeable resistance, unfor­ to boost existing populations where there is an ob­ tunately not absolute, to tick infestation. This is vious commitment to the future of the buffalo. often and erroneously attributed to the thickness of The United States does not appear, at present, to © Copyright American Association o f Bovine Practitioners; open access distribution. access open Practitioners; Bovine f o Association American Copyright © the . The hide is certainly thicker and heavier share the upsurge of international interest in the than in most breeds of cattle and is very vascular. domestic water buffalo, or even to seek to experiment, There is no im m unity to piroplasm osis, under strictly controlled conditions, with trial impor­ trypanosomiasis, and East Coast fever. Buffaloes, by tations of representative breeds. It is difficult to virtue of their habitat and wallowing proclivity, are believe that U.S. scientists are unaware of important subject to heavy infection with Fasciola spp. which developments in other parts of the world, or are may cause loss in production and reduced work abili­ oblivious to the enormous potential presented by this ty. Although the may suffer extensive and hitherto neglected animal. Dr. Hugh Popenoe at the irreparable damage and the parasite load may be University of Florida has successfully established a phenomenally heavy, clinical signs are usually lack­ small unit at Gainsville and is convinced of the ing. Neoascaris vitulorum infection, which may be possibilities that lie in the future exploitation of the acquired prenatally, or through the , causes animal. heavy losses in untreated buffalo calves in which the In Italy and elsewhere the water buffalo has amply small intestine may be packed almost to the point of demonstrated its claim to an important place in complete occlusion. western agriculture. In the developing countries the Although the buffalo presents some numbers of buffaloes maintained for milk and meat characteristic features, and some of these may production are greatly increasing. Scientific interest appear to be unique, it is a bovine animal and its in stimulating production through intensive studies response to infection is very close to that of cattle. and research is growing everywhere. When maintained under good conditions of health The future for this attractive, tractable, produc­ control, it is remarkable for its long productive tive animal appears to be a bright one in which the life. There is some truth in the aphorism that a promise of an outstanding contribution of animal sick buffalo is a dead buffalo. protein in the form of high-grade milk and top- quality meat will not go unfulfilled. The Future of the Water Buffalo References Within recent times the following importations of Charles, D.D. and Johnson, E.R. 1972, Carcass composition of nucleus buffalo breeding stocks have been made: the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). Aust. J. Agric. Res., 23: 905. - Charles, D.D. and Johnson, E.R. 1975, Liveweight gains and car­ By From cass composition of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) on four feeding Brazil India, Italy, Trinidad regimes. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 26: 407. - Cockrill, W. Ross, 1974, The water buffalo: a world picture. Atti del Primo Convegno Inter- Bolivia Brazil nazionale sull’allevamento bufalino nel mondo. Caserta, Italy. - Bulgaria India, Pakistan Cockrill, W. Ross, 1976, The buffaloes of China. FAO, Rome, Italy. China India, Pakistan - deFranciscis, G. 1971, The early of buffalo calves. Caser­ Colombia Trinidad ta. Associazione Provinciale Allevatori (In Italian). - FAO. 1977, The water buffalo (In press). Rome, Italy. - Kay, H.D. 1974, Milk Costa Rica Australia and milk production in The Husbandry and Health of the Mozambique Italy Domestic Buffalo, ed. W. Ross Cockrill, FAO, Rome, Italy. - Nigeria Australia Kurien, J. 1970, Whither India? Setting the pace for dairy Papua New Guinea Australia development. World Rev. Anim. Prod. 26, 64-73. - Macgregor, R. Tanzania Egypt 1941, The domestic buffalo (Abridged by J.B. Brooksby from the original thesis for which the Fellowship of the Royal College of Uganda India Veterinary Surgeons was awarded.) Vet. Rec., 53: 443-450. - U.S.S.R. India Mason, I.L. 1974, Draft animals in Encyclopaedia Brittanica. 15th Venezuela Trinidad, Italy, edn. Chicago, U.S.A. - Mesbah, M .M ., El Shazly, K. and Abou Bulgaria and Australia Akkada, A.R. 1973, Early weaning of naturally suckled (Bos bubalus) calves. Rev. Cubana Cienc. Agric. (Eng. ed.) 6: 311. - Some of these importations, e.g., by Costa Rica, Shah, M .K. 1967, Buffalo, the mainstay of the dairy industry. In­ have been small and experimental; others, like those dian Farming, November, 1967. - Tulloch, D. 1970, The use of behaviour in domestication. First N.T. Buffalo Conference, by Brazil, Mozambique, Nigeria, U.S.S.R. and Darwin, Australia. - Tulloch, D. 1974, The feral Swamp buffaloes Venezuela, have consisted of some hundreds of of Australia’s Northern Territory in The Husbandry and Health of animals repeated on several occasions and designed the Domestic Buffalo, ed. W. Ross Cockrill, FAO, Rome, Italy.

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