The buffalo, an animal as sacred as it is vital to agriculture | The domestication of epic horns

[Music] it has large hoofs an almost hairless greasy hide it's a powerful swimmer and very disease resistant the Asian water buffalo is the king of the wetlands since its domestication around 5,000 years ago in Southeast Asia and on the Indian subcontinent the Buffalo has accompanied mankind around the world and changed our lives on every continent thanks to its great capacity for adapting it has succeeded in making itself at home in many Wetlands sometimes even beyond our [Music] expectations 18 million years ago a small discreet and solitary mammal lived in the forests of Eurasia from Europe to present Pakistan he liked to graze in damp Glades and marshes on the edge of the woods the animal looked much like the smallest antelopes of today this mini horn Beast is called iotus it is the common ancestor of a now famous family the badi the populations of this mysterious creature evolved over time to adapt to the different natural environments of the world 5 to 10 million years ago they gave birth to about 20 species man chose some to domesticate them and then linked his Destiny to this incredible animal family this is how zebu Yak water buffalo and Ox were born [Music] [Applause] [Music] in Inland Thailand on the edge of chambury Province these swamps would have been almost unusable without the help of the water buffalo a powerful animal capable of working its legs in the water or mud the bid many of which have been domesticated here is still at the heart of many Thai families daily life and remains an esteemed and respected partner human and buffalo have learned to work together like here in the sugar cane Fields as a more mechanized agriculture becomes the norm today Anan is among those who advocate for using the Buffalo I don't need gasoline to work in the fields I plow with my Buffalo and the Buffalo dong gathered in a pile of manure serves as fertilizer in the old days if you wanted to farm the land you had to cut down trees to make a clearing cultivable land was limited to the area that had been cleared the Buffalo helped with this task and many people have kept them for farmwork until today my parents raised Buffalo for work on the farm for growing rice sugar cane and sweet potatoes when it became my generation's turn I chose to continue breeding [Music] them even today it's my passion I pass this passion on to my children and grandchildren I chose to continue raising Buffalo and breeding them most families have stopped breeding it's only the people like me who have known the Buffalo since childhood who haven't resigned themselves to giving up my relationship with chaang is special this animal is really part of my family he's been with us for a long time we understand each other well he listens to me because we have this ancient Bond he Faithfully obeys me to make him feel good before he rests I always clean him his ears should be clean [Music] I think the farm is important for the children and I teach them how to keep it going if there's something they've never done I show them how to do it well this way they'll learn and I knows it transmission to his children is essential so that the bonds between human and animal woven over centuries will not be broken this is my Heritage I tell them to maintain it because it's a connection and if you don't keep it going it will disappear we have to take care of it as long as we can the unconditional love that Anan feels for his Buffalo is the exception nowadays though the animal has been an essential partner for the inhabitants of these regions it has experienced a serious decline over the last 50 years the Thai herd has fallen from six million head in 1980 to only 1 million today between rural Exodus and competition from small cheap tractors the domestic Buffalo is losing ground for years Villages have suffered from depopulation as the majority of young people left to live in the city of those who stayed and practiced agriculture many think they must use a tractor yet farming with the Buffalo and learning how to use them is now being made [Music] easier Kason Cavit school is committed to maintaining the buffalo in the fields over the use of tractors here young Farmers learn how to lead the animal and to work together with it every every Wednesday pairs of man Buffalo or woman Buffalo are supervised by a teacher they train and deepen their understanding luxa is a diligent [Music] student the Buffalo I brought to the training center today is called Nan I got her eight months ago she has a wild character she still doesn't like the presence of human beings too much today is the third time that she has been hitched up she's beginning to become more obedient she's a little easier to manage and she listens well to her [Music] trainer this is my first time plowing it's not that hard it's a real learning experience it's fun and stimulating I take care of her like a friend I'm raising her so yes I like her a lot I speak to her I stroke her with my hand her face and neck and I say be careful don't be stubborn listen if students like luxa and our buffalo can benefit from training like this it's thanks to an initiative launched in 1979 by the Thai King Rama the n to avoid the inevitable disappearance of the domestic Buffalo he created the Buffalo bank and its one home one Buffalo program thanks to this structure Farmers Alan a buffalo for 5 years on condition they don't sell it the objective is to promote ancient farming techniques and to allow the farmer to develop their own livestock at the end of these 5 years the farmer must give a buffalo back to the organization and then become the owner of the original loan Buffalo I've lived together with Buffalo since childhood my parents raised Buffalo my older sister had a buffalo when it was my turn because I love animals and because the Buffalo Bank existed the breeding committee contacted me here at the center they saw that I loved animals and even that I knew how to vaccinate them so I got a scholarship I'm happy because I always loved animals and now I can work with them every day an efficient and well-managed buffalo is able to work 25,000 ft of Patty field per day the benefits of the school the advice from seasoned breeders and daily training are already being felt while the domestic animals are in decline in their original habitat a few hundred kilom to the North A Relic population of wild Buffalo's still survives today in the depths of the Jungle a real treasure a few dozen wild buffalo still live in this area well hidden In the Heat of the 1,000 square miles of the large National Park to study these unique Buffalo you need to be able to spot and approach [Music] them nored is a scientist with a passion for Animals he inventories studies the evolution of this wild micr population and seeks to identify the threats endangering them it is difficult to access this environment the path is almost impossible to follow getting close to them is a challenge the reason why there are so few wild buffalo left in Thailand is primarily because of hunting then there are epidemics another cause of the decrease in the number of wild buffalo which I am studying at the moment is Mimosa pigra an invasive plant species that eliminates and replaces plants eaten by the buffalo to locate the Buffalo the scientist surveys the river and its banks their favorite environment during the hottest hours of the day it's a real accomplishment to find a herd of wild buffalo to be able to take a picture to see that there are little ones to see the different generations of buffalo in the herd it's a great satisfaction to be able to say to yourself they are still here I seek to gather information and pass it on to others [Music] we can see that in the dry season their territory becomes concentrated on the banks of the river the Buffalo doesn't like heat it has to swim often they bathe to maintain a normal body temperature and stay cool and humid for as long as possible [Music] on a physical level the wild buffalo is larger than the domestic Buffalo the arch of the horns is wider regarding behavior the wild buffalo remains [Music] wild it is characterized by its forest habitat it is more fearful and careful it is these colosi that humans set out to tame the last remaining wild buffalo in Southeast Asia are among the largest wild bovids in the world they can weigh up to 2,600 lb with domestication humans reduce the animal size over generations to obtain a buffalo of about 1,000 lb they are less dangerous more manageable and easier to feed there are only 2,500 wild buffalo in the world while the domesticated Buffalo now number over 200 million on the [Music] planet while it is difficult to determine precisely where and when this domestication took Place some 50 km away a little known site in central Thailand offers valuable Clues after 2 hours of walking in the forest and an altitude of 2,000 ft the cow pla cave finally reveals its Secrets nette is going there for the first time he discovered around 40 cave paintings made from blood red natural pigments they are thought to date from 3,000 to 5,000 years ago Buffalo Silhouettes are represented alongside those of humans the frescos seem to reveal how humans ventured to capture and tame a wild species as powerful and dangerous as the [Music] Buffalo nored admires the walls a adorned with representations of humans in Buffalo side by side they are sometimes joined by a material linking them such as ropes this undoubtedly symbolizes a capture an essential prerequisite for domestication Others May illustrate agricultural work immortalized on these walls is the new emerging relationship between humans and the wild buffalo they will become doile Companions and quickly spread to new territories they'll allow new conquests and can change human agricultural practices there are in fact two subspecies of Wild Water Buffalo that were domesticated in Asia around 5,000 BC they will give us the river buffalo in the west and the swamp buffalo in the East the swamp Buffalo spread from subtropical China to Eastern India via the islands of the Indian Ocean this permitted the development of agriculture in wetlands in particular the cultivation of rice as for its cousin the river Buffalo the peoples of the Middle East adopted it at the dawn of the first Millennium all the way to Mesopotamia and from the 6th Century onto the Nile Delta where it became the companion of the Egyptians who were lovers of dairy products long before its arrival as revealed by the discovery in a tomb of a cheese that is nearly 3,300 years old in Egypt cattle breeding is a tradition that dates back to prehistoric times as soon as it arrived in Africa 1,500 years ago the river Buffalo was adopted by the inhabitants of the Nile Valley the banks of the Great River and the wetlands which border it are silty and Soggy and prove to be perfectly suited to the bid's Natural requirements though in some Oasis in the South the Buffalo still works these flooded lands in the north of the country its breeding has gradually been modeled on that of the Dryland species cattle and goats to produce milk and meat I am Isam mui Abu shanab a cattle dealer from shama in the manuia province I breed these Buffalo it's my job and it's been passed down from father to son this is my only job it's my daily occupation [Music] the breed I own is of Italian origin its ancestors are Italian but we've cross breeded them with the Egyptian race this crossbreed offers a better quality milk for us it's the best milk we can produce and for the meat too it's the best quality almost 4.2 million River Buffalo now live in Egypt where they bear the local name Gus they are often fed with fodder grown by the Breeders themselves Bim or alexandrian Clover a legume rich in protein is the main vegetable fed to the animals it is excellent for the production of Buffalo milk prefer the Buffalo because it's very productive and its milk is more expensive than cow's milk unlike the Southeast Asian Buffalo Mediterranean River buffalo have a coarse coat on their bodies the result of possible adaptation to a colder and drier environment although the Buffalo is an animal meant for production its owner's esteem for it is very visible he cleans them every morning shining its coat and activating its blood circulation the animal is the object of tender loving care it's like when you wake up in the morning you wash your face and make your bed well this animal I owe it to God to take care of it and keep it clean as she gives to you you have to give back to her to wash her remove the mud and rub her body so that she absorbs the sun's heat so she feels good and brings you a good day milk is the white gold of the Nile Delta it has been a favorite on Egyptian tables for over 3,000 years long before the arrival of the Buffalo but in the end the Egyptian connoisseur quickly detected Buffalo milk's exceptional qualities and its many benefits it is richer in lipids minerals and Trace elements than that of cow goat or even sheep milk for our milk we believe that everything is a gift we have an old proverb that goes the more you give the more milk you get in return different cheeses from Buffalo milk are produced in Egypt including the famous domiati while some breeders sell their buffalo milk to Industrial dairies others such as Assam and his family make their own cheese after leaving the precious milk to rest overnight the domat is made the next day [Applause] this fresh cheese is obtained after a first salting of the milk followed by stirring pressing and finally a final salting after draining to facilitate the conservation of the product that brings honor to his house [Music] [Applause] every Saturday morning in the town of minou the cattle market is held it's worthy of the great markets of the East vibrant with unique ancient atmosphere Isam goes there every week he wouldn't miss this meeting of Buffalo enthusiasts for anything in the world here breeders from all over the Nile Delta meet around their animals a gathering of interested parties all here for business feeling Buffalo backs and rumps inspecting the mouths gauging the coveted animals before entering into tough negotiations in Egypt the buffalo herd produces half a million gallons of milk and more than 100,000 tons of meat each year sometimes like today SM comes to sell an animal the sale is concluded with several Taps on the hand and a little milk splashed on the animal as a sign of [Applause] blessing as it became an all-around versatile Beast the river Buffalo took root in the Delta from the Indus to the Mediterranean it is found today in Egypt but also in Iran Iraq turkey the Balkans and of course in Italy where it's used in the production of the famous mozzarella deala man established another relationship with the swamp Buffalo he took it on board ships to the islands of the Indian Ocean it still participates in working the fields and a spiritual and cultural Bond gradually [Music] developed as soon as it arrived in Bali the Buffalo was adopted by the Bali AA the first inhabitants of the island who still worship it [Music] wherever it settles the Buffalo helps humans with its large hoof amphibious body and [Music] maneuverability here it excels in the rice fields where it allows the cultivation of the precious and nourishing [Music] cereal but here too it is gradually being replaced by motorized [Music] machines yet in Bal the Buffalo is still the subject of a great reverence Superior to all other [Music] animals the population has partly adopted the ancient Cult of the bovid and still celebrates it in certain temples and in religious ceremonies even when it passes from life to death the animal continues to interest Indonesians some parts of the buffalo's body are transformed into works of art skulls and bones are sculpted to pay spiritual and artistic homage to the animal emad has carried on this tradition for three generations when I sculpt a buffalo skull I feel both Joy and sadness because this Buffalo has worked with the farmers she plowed the rice patties and was in Stables helping the farmer I tried to sculpt it into a work of art so that it serves us all and so that I can sell it to the tourists who come to see my work when I work on these sculptures I stay very focused on my work so that there are no flaws so the work is perfect Flawless and beautiful I am inspired by my thoughts I try to create the most beautiful balines patterns which we call util on the Buffalo skulls I also use bird motifs insects or nagas which are a kind of legendary snake dragon as models I feel Pride when I work on Buffalo skulls when I sculped the large imposing buffalo head before starting I ask my ancestors that my work be beautiful and that it may please my [Music] customers a symbolic and mystical figure the Buffalo is still used to work the fields and like in many places in the world animal pulling gives people new ideas for competitions despite its slow and easygoing demeanor the Buffalo turns out to be a formidable Sprinter when encouraged this mass of muscles can reach phenomenal speeds the men here participate in a unique Sport with their fellow workers the mapang taking its roots in ancient gestures from the different stages of rice cultivation in their own way these Buffalo races celebrate a bond United humans and their [Music] animals a young woman resty begins to be accepted in the competitions my passion for mapun and for Buffalo started at a very young age [Music] my father always took me to the mapun to his training to wash the buffal to feed them at first my dad didn't allow me to ride I became a jockey and Secret [Music] even though the Buffalo is Big I'm not afraid because I know how to control it against my opponents and even if they're all male jockeys I can face them even if I'm a woman there are two Buffalo races one on wet ground and the other on dry ground resty is only allowed to practice the less dangerous one the mapun lampit which is run on wet ground it celebrates the fertilization of the rice field and is practiced in soggy rice patties standing on a wooden board symbolizing the [Music] plow the makap Sika race attracts the most people and thrills the crowds it takes place on dry [Music] ground makap sikar has its roots in the rice [Music] Harvest at the time coming home from the Harvest the drivers brought back the rice in their wagons pulled by the Buffalo they chased each other to get home quickly so the Buffalo could [Music] eat tomorrow is the day of a great event the Governor's Cup the most famous makap SAR race which is still reserved for men only much to rest's dismay her uncle also a jockey will represent the family as in many rural families the whole resty family is involved in raising Buffalo the families take great pride in their working animals which have now become race animals they're a precious possession that is worth all the sacrifices and especially all the Care a few hours before the race resty will personally take care of her uncle's team but she doesn't forget the other animals including the two bont tangs in the house these small bow Vines common in Bal with a tan coat and dough-like air are also used to work the rice patties thinner than their imposing cousins these animals are more comfortable on narrower and steeper Terrace plots to have the best buffalo at these events we have taken care of them from when they were young we choose high-legged buffalos quite symmetrical with a straight chest there you see it the beautiful horns and when they're adults their price can reach hundreds of millions of Indonesian rupees up to $112,000 before the race I give them traditional preparations first palm sugar which I boil until melted then I cool it down and add some [Music] eggs then I pour this mixture into a bottle I give the drink to the Buffalo to make it breathe deeper run faster and be stronger since I'm small and the Buffalo is tall it's a bit difficult to put the bottle in the buffalo's mouth that's why I ask my dad for [Music] help in Bali the houses of Hindu families all have a small outside Temple dedicated to prayer [Music] daily offerings the canang sari are placed here in the form of small baskets filled with flower petals and sometimes grains of rice topped with a stick of incense to symbolize gratitude to gods and demons [Music] [Music] Buffalo races are of great importance to Ry and her people they are a highlight of Rural and family life which strengthens ties and represent the whole clan in the eyes of society they are also the occasion for contemplation to invoke the help of the divinities [Music] it's race day Buffalo and Riders are in the starting [Music] blocks in the past Farmers returning from the fields Laden with their precious Harvest hurried to reach the village first trying to overtake the carts of their neighbors these drivers unknowingly invented today's Buffalo races which are meeting growing [Music] [Applause] [Music] popularity they are a celebration between neighbors between friends and family this Bond unites these people to their [Music] buffalo in South India or Thailand the races have jockeys perched on the rump of the animal but the balines makap is the only discipline in Asia to feature Buffalo [Music] chariots the jockeys are in a trance during the race as they Harang their animals some go so far as to whip them with studded sticks a violent practice which fortunately is increasingly criticized by the public on this day ry's Uncle did not win his race he is greeted with Relief by his niece she's a little worried about him and their animals [Music] after the race comes the ritual of bathing in the sea it's a natural treatment with healing properties that relaxes muscles and heals wounds it is also a moment of sharing between resty and her two Champions Beauty and her beasts that also seem to appreciate the sweet moment on these islands in the sea at the edge of the world for Millennia people have pursued their Adventures inviting their Animal Companions to take part with them during these conquests men women in Buffalo took care of each other and established a relationship in which each seemed to have found their place after reaching South Africa in Australia the Buffalo continued its conquest of the wetlands with an accident in the 19th century the sinking of a transatlantic ship with some of these horn beasts on board offered the Buffalo a new territory the Amazon at the beginning there were only 30 now they number half a million thanks to their capacities for adaptation they represent the largest land animal population on the subcontinent they invaded the wetlands to become the goose that lays the golden egg for people who until then live mainly from fishing it is on these beaches of the aluvial island of marajo bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the north of Brazil that Buffalo miraculously survived a shipwreck and took their first steps on this land as the ship transporting them from Indochina to French Guana sank offshore the surviving Buffalo swam ashore left to their own devices in the mangroves and swamps of tukuma they managed to survive and reproduce quickly then men captured and retained them the races present today on the island have been selected for local needs such as pulling and production of cheese leather and [Music] meat in the town of Sor as on the rest of the island the Buffalo is now an integral part of the landscape it is raised in every house house and it's not uncommon for the animal to roam in the street it helps with domestic drawes and AIDS everyone in their work for children and adolescents it is practically a pet that they enjoy riding even the police ride Buffalo here provide providing hundreds of services the Buffalo has become emblematic in marajo and a great economic asset that the inhabitants would have a hard time living without [Music] [Music] even today Buffalo breeders are trying to imagine new uses for the [Music] [Music] animal some highlight its unique abilities for walking between Land and Sea to help make visitors become aware of the beauty and fragility of the island gono is one of them the old man and his [Music] Buffalo the people here of my generation treat the Buffalo like an integral part of our ecosystem and it's true they are if you take away the Buffalo it's like taking a triangle with three sides and removing one of the sides it's no longer a triangle it would be the same for Mara Jo if you take away our buffalo and tourism in truth the island of Mara Jo shows tourists only the tip of the iceberg the visitor doesn't know anything more about Mara the tourist arriving here wants to discover our culture which is very beautiful and our crafts and honestly the Buffalo is essential for that buffalos are proving to be a great way to explore the area this is the magic of these Buffalo rides which rely on their ease to walk in terrain the bovid is undoubtedly the best way to experience this wild nature and observe in total immersion the species that live [Music] here people are coming from all over the world who have ridden camels zebras and hippos before and when they arrive here it's noral that we offer them the possibility to ride our buffalo for gono the rhythm of the Buffalo is not the same as the horse Buffalo must not be rushed one mustn't ask too much of it but it can go everywhere here in sa Gano with the Buffalo we can even take you for a swim in the Bay of marajo this ride is very popular people like it a lot and they say I rode on camels in Africa now I'm swimming with a buffalo in marajo for the inhabitants of marajo water buffalo have become real Partners companions at every moment of Life in The Great Outdoors but they're also an important resource for their meat their milk or their [Music] leather while the most modest inhabitants raise a few Buffalo for their multiple products the owners of large Farms have huge herds which sometimes number hundreds of heads they are practically the equal of the famous American Cowboys with their herds of cows and oxen Ava as a veterinarian she found herself caring almost exclusively for Buffalo as other farm animals became secondary in marajo she ended up falling in love with the bovid and became a breeder herself the Buffalo is our whole life here certainly this is my whole life I couldn't live without all this this is what my father built my life is here in the fields among the Buffalo training an animal to be my friend without them I could not live the qualities of the Buffalo today have made it an essential partner in all the inhabitants activities tourism transport and food IT Supplies most of the local milk production and meat from the region we consume a lot of meat in po we eat a lot of buffalo meat the majority of our meat consumption is Buffalo though before it was mainly beef buffalo meat was rejected in the beginning but today in Brazil it is a very sought after [Music] meat in our part of the island of marajo there are hardly any cows we only work with the buffalo [Music] [Music] yet though domestic buffalo have many positive qualities these large herds impact the environment repeated trampling by the ever increasing number of cattle weakens and compacts the soil which is unsuitable for this type of animal there are organizations that wanted to put an end to the Buffalo here in marajo saying that it is doing ecological damage because it is a heavy [Music] animal maro's soil is fragile and they found the Buffalo digging and destroying the soil with its great weight but because we can't imagine life on the island without the Buffalo when they suggested putting an end to the buffalo here the people rebelled against it the population opposed the idea sometimes Buffalo escape from their herd and returns to the forest and Mangrove this return to the wild in the absence of predators is not without consequences as in the north of Australia or Cuba wild buffalo become invasive and degrade the natural environment by treading on the banks of water courses and grazing on V vegetation their mass and gargantuan appetite deprive many wild species of vital resources due to this dangerous imbalance controlling the number of buffalo on Mara Jo is now necessary the Buffalo permitted the conquest of wetlands and provided us with many products and benefits it has accompanied mankind even on our cultural and spiritual practices but the human Buffalo Duo now faces A new challenge humans must learn to Beware of the animals exceptional adaptive capacities as well as the ever increasing calls for yield and productivity only this way will we be able to continue to promote the buffalo's unique qualities acquired over the course of our common history [Music]

Channel: wocomoWILDLIFE

Views: 2,930

Keywords: Wilfdlife, ox, prairies, bovin, agrilculture, animals, documentary, wild, domestication, Aurochs, Far West, Mesopotamia, origins, raising, farms, tradition, cattle, festivals, religion, traditional, nature, earth, history, plains, conquest, west, wildlife documentary, arte, bbc, nat geo, national geographic, exclusive, cultivation, field, farmers, farming, crop, ploughing, plough, buffalo, water buffalo, race, Governor's Cup, Makepung, buffalo racing, bali, indonesia, cikar, Egypt, milk, rice, Thailand, brazil, wetlands, breed, sound

Id: Jfz3NE3iQ3U

Length: 51min 10sec (3070 seconds)

Published: Wed May 01 2024