Carabao (water buffalo)
The Carabao ( Filipino : kalabaw ; Malay : kerbau ) is one of the pet breeds of the water buffalo ( Bubalus bubalis ), as found in the Philippines , Guam and various parts of Southeast Asia. Carabaos are typically associated with agriculture, where they are harnessed as work animals to a plow or cart and used as pack animals for transport from the field and to the market.
The name Carabao comes from the Filipino dialect Cebuano and was obviously taken from Malay .
description
Adult animals reach a weight of 700 kg to 800 kg and have fine long gray or black hair that lightly covers the entire body. They have a head of hair on their foreheads and on the highest part of their backs. Both the male and female specimens have massive horns that grow backwards from the head to form a crescent-shaped sickle.
On Guam
The carabao is considered a national symbol in Guam . This breed of water buffalo was imported from the Philippines by the Spanish colonial administration of Guams in the late 16th century for use as a pack animal and as a means of transport. Furthermore, they were used in agriculture and as draft animals for the Carabao Carts ( Carabao carts ). Carabao racing was a popular sport on the island until the late 1960s and was mostly held at festivals.
Nowadays the carabao is a part of everyday culture in this American territory. A Christmas carol with the title "Jungle Bells", sung to the tune of " Jingle Bells ", describes the ride on a carabao cart instead of the ride on a horse-drawn sleigh. Carabaos are often used at popular festivals and other festivities to serve as mounts for children. Their meat is sometimes eaten as a delicacy, although this is no longer common these days. Colorfully painted caraboa figures made of fiberglass can be seen in many places in the capital Hagåtña , as well as in other places, for example the Guam Premier Outlets in Tamuning .
While carabaos were fairly common and ubiquitous in Guam before 1900, with a population of a few thousand, they have become rare in most parts of the island today. The exception is the US Navy magazine in the village of Santa Rita , where carabaos can live protected from hunters, as the base is fenced on all sides. The population of the carabaos in this area grew to a few hundred to the point where they became a nuisance as they damaged their habitat and polluted the base's water reservoir. In 2003, the Navy embarked on a controversial project by launching a program to decimate stocks and reduce them to a tolerable and controllable level. This led to heavy protests among the Chamorro , a tribe that has been native to Guam for centuries and has close ties to the Carabao.
On the Philippines
In the Philippines, the carabao is particularly important for agriculture and is considered the most important workhorse in the country. Especially in provincial areas where you cannot afford a tractor and in hilly terrain where the use of technology is limited, the Carabao shows its advantages in field work. But there are also numerous possible uses in forestry, for example to move logs out of inaccessible areas.
A well-established agricultural method called Payatak requires the use of carabaos and is still used in Northern Samar today . The soil of a rice field is first softened with rainwater or diverted watersheds before the farmer leads a group of carabaos over the area in order to let the arable land be trampled until it is wet enough to be able to pick up the rice seedlings. This time-consuming method, however, yields lower profits and a lower income compared to continuously irrigated fields.
The "Carabao Festival" is celebrated on May 14th in the province of Bulacan . The farmers decorate their carabaos with flower garlands and colorful ribbons and then lead them into the church, where they are blessed before they parade through the village. On the second day there is a race among the carabaos in the area, although the animals are not known for their speed.
In late 2007, the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), based in Nueva Ecija , began a study on breeding a water buffalo that is said to be able to produce between 4 and 18 liters of milk per day through genetic engineering. Most of the funding came from the Ministry of Science and Technology. The aim should be to filter out the best animals directly after birth through a marker-assisted selection process in order to limit the rearing to worthwhile specimens.
Today, the Carabao is, among other things, the mascot of the Philippine Daily Inquirer , a large Philippine daily newspaper and bears the name Guyito .
credentials
- ↑ Philippine Daily Inquirer, 8-18-2007. ( Memento of the original from October 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Cynthia/festivals/carabao_festival.htm Carabao Festival
- ↑ Inquirer.net, 'Super carabao' making the scene in the year of the rats ( Memento of the original from June 9, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Philippine Inquirer Junior, 11-20-1999. ( Memento of the original from February 12, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Web links
- Inquirer.net, Carabao could be a key to biofuel, according to scientists
- Official website of the Philippine Carabao Center