Many Asian, European, African, and Latin American countries rely on buffalo for their agricultural economies, and buffalo is a vital part of that economy. When it comes to farm animals, the buffalo is rapidly becoming acknowledged as a milking, meat-producing, and draught animal. Even though this species makes a substantial contribution as a versatile mammal, it has received only a fraction of the care and attention that it so richly deserves. It has been found that insufficient research and a lack of information have been a significant stumbling block in the improvement of buffalo production potential. It is sometimes assumed incorrectly that the scientific information collected on cattle can be applied to buffaloes in the same way.
Water buffaloes can be found all over the world, including the Indian subcontinent, China, Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America, among other places. Water buffaloes have now been categorised by biologists into two subspecies, which are as follows:
- River buffalo (also known as buffalo horns)
- Swamp buffalo (Buffalo savanna)
These animals are now considered domesticated, and their origins may be traced back to the Indus valley civilization and Mesopotamia, where they were traded. Because they are utilised for tilling rice fields, water buffaloes are also very significant from an agricultural standpoint in Bangladesh.
The wild water buffalo is considered to be the most likely ancestor of the water buffalo (Bubalus arnee). The wild water buffalo, on the other hand, is a threatened species, as opposed to its domesticated counterparts (as per the IUCN).
Buffalo’s natural habitat
It is possible for an African buffalo to survive practically everywhere there is water. Swamps, semi-arid brushland, and woods are examples of this type of habitat. They can be found all over the continent of Africa, with a concentration in central and southern Africa. Sierra Leone, Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, the Central African Republic, South Africa, Botswana, and other countries are among those affected.
Diet of the buffalo
Buffaloes do not consume flesh, despite the fact that they can be aggressive. They spend the most of their awake hours grazing on plants, just as many other hooved mammals. Buffalo, despite the fact that they have just a remote evolutionary connection to cows and other bovines, will chew cud much like a cow does. That is, they will split up grass from earlier in the day in order to re-chew it and get additional nutrients from it.
African buffalo, in contrast to other grazing animals, feed primarily at night. They appear to be doing this in part because buffalo have a difficult time maintaining a consistent body temperature throughout the day.
Predators and hazards to buffaloes
Buffalo are preyed upon by a variety of predators in the wild, but humans and food supplies pose the greatest threat to them. The fact that buffalo spend the most of their day grazing makes them particularly vulnerable to famine during droughts. Meanwhile, because of their highly sought-after position among hunters, there is no shortage of big game safaris that specifically target them. Those buffalo that become separated from their herd face a constant threat from Africa’s natural hunters, which include lions and groups of wild dogs in particular.
The most serious threat to the African buffalo, on the other hand, is unsustainable human development. Development, such as the carving out of crops or the clearing of fields for housing and city expansion, fragments the buffalo’s habitat, making it more difficult for them to locate food. Due to the fact that buffalo spend the most of their day eating, this can have a rapid impact on populations. Buffalo can also pose a threat to humans because they destroy crops, pull down fences, and transfer sickness to cattle, among other activities.
Buffalo reproduction, birth of young, and life expectancy
Approximately one calf is born to the African buffalo every few years, according to experts. Mothers can be pregnant for up to a year, which is far longer than humans. After giving birth, the calf will be completely reliant on its mother for up to a year following the birth. Despite the fact that male buffalo will have no direct role in the calves’ rearing, the calves will produce a distinct cry that will summon the attention of the entire herd to their aid.
The maturation of calves takes an additional four to five years after they are born. Females will normally remain with the herd where they were born, however males will leave for one of the “bachelor” herds after they have reached sexual maturity. Around this period, females will normally begin to have children of their own.
Large population of buffaloes
Despite the fact that buffaloes have a robust population throughout Africa, their numbers are dropping. The buffalo’s conservation status has been upgraded from “Least Concern” to “Near Threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Animals (IUCN) over the last two decades. Farmers’ methods that deplete their grazing pastures, as well as threats from prize hunters and meat poachers, are being blamed for the drop.
Conclusion
Buffaloes are herd animals that cluster in huge groups, with each herd including anything from 50 to 500 individuals. Sometimes herds will band together to form temporary super-herds, which can number in the thousands, in order to prevent lions and other predators from easily identifying and attacking individual members. Generally speaking, a herd is composed of females and their calves.
Males will create “bachelor groups” from time to time, which are smaller herds consisting of adult males. Even these herds, though, will divide into younger and older males as the years progress. The eldest males have a tendency to prefer their own company.