Carabao

Carabaos(Filipino:kalabáw) are a genetically distinct population of swamp-typewater buffaloes(Bubalus bubalis kerabau) from thePhilippines.They were also further introduced toSulawesiandBorneoof easternIndonesiaandMalaysia.
Carabaos are the traditionaldraft animalsin the Philippines forpaddy fieldrice cultivation and are commonly raised bysmallholderfarmers. They were also formerly widely used for the transport of goods throughout the islands. They are a source of carabao milk andcarabeef, among other products. The carabao is widely considered to be thenational animalof the Philippines and symbolizes hard work.
Carabaos were introduced toGuamfrom the Philippines in the 17th century. They have also acquired great cultural significance to theChamorro peopleand are considered the unofficial national animal of Guam.
The term "carabao" is also sometimes used for thekerbauinMalaysia, which is the official animal of the state ofNegeri Sembilan.However, water buffaloes fromPeninsular Malaysiaand westernIndonesia(JavaandSumatra) are not carabaos and descend from different populations that were introduced through a later separate route fromMainland Southeast Asiarather than through Taiwan.
TheEnglishterm "carabao" is borrowed from theSpanishwordcarabao, which is derived from EasternVisayan(likelyWaray)karabàw.The female is called (in Spanish) acaraballa.CognatesincludeCebuanokábaw,Tagalogkalabáw,Kavalanqabaw,Minangkabaukabau,Malay/Indonesiankerbau,Javanesekebo, and IndonesianDutchkarbouw.TheseAustronesianterms appear to be loanwords from theAustroasiatic languagesand likely derives from a secondary pre-colonial introduction of water buffaloes intoIsland Southeast Asiavia westernIndonesia.
However, it is also clear thatAustronesiansalready had ancient terms for the carabao, reconstructed asProto-Austronesian*qaNuaŋ. Cognates includePaporaloan,Thaoqnuwan,Sirayaluang,Rukainwange,Ilocanonuang,Tagaloganwangoranowang,Kankanaeynuang,Isnegnuang,Itawisnwang,Bontocnuwang,Ifugaonuwang, andAklanonanwang. Cognates survive intoSulawesi, but the terms there apply to the relatedanoa. Similarly,Hanunó'oanwangalso refers to thetamarawofMindoro, rather than the carabao. These terms spread southwards from Taiwan, indicating that domesticated carabaos were carried partially into the Philippines during theAustronesian expansion, but didn't move further south into the rest ofIsland Southeast Asiauntil the second introduction fromMainland Southeast Asia. The reason for this is unknown.
Other native names for carabaos includedamulagin Tagalog,Bikol, andKapampangan;dueginPangasinan; andpagadinIvatan.The resemblance of the word "carabao"  tocaribouis coincidental, and they do not share a common etymology — an example of afalse cognate.
The oldest evidence of water buffalo discovered in the Philippines is multiple fragmentary skeletal remains recovered from the upper layers of theNeolithicNagsabaran site, part of theLal-lo and Gattaran Shell Middens(~2200 BCE to 400 CE) of northernLuzon. Most of the remains consisted of skull fragments, almost all of which have cut marks indicating they were butchered. The remains are associated with red slipped pottery,spindle whorls, stoneadzes, andjadebracelets; which have strong affinities to similar artifacts from NeolithicAustronesianarcheological sites inTaiwan. Based on theradiocarbon dateof the layer in which the oldest fragments were found, water buffalo were already present in the Philippines by at least 500 BCE.
Genetic studies have shown that the closest related populations to carabaos are the swamp buffalo populations ofTaiwan, which in turn descended from swamp buffaloes from theNeolithicrice-farming culturesof theYangtze Delta. This indicates that carabaos were carried along by theAustronesian migrationsinto the Philippines from Taiwan, and then further onward toBorneoandSulawesi. Carabaos are genetically distinct from the swamp buffaloes ofPeninsular Malaysiaand westernIndonesia(JavaandSumatra), which show closer affinities to swamp buffaloes fromMainland Southeast Asia, indicating that they originated from a different introduction pathway.
Carabaos have the low, wide, and heavy build of draft animals. They vary in color from light grey toslate grey. The horns are sickle-shaped or curve backward toward the neck. Chevrons are common.Albinoidsare present in the proportion of about 3% of the buffalo population. Mature male carabaos weigh 420–500 kg (930–1,100 lb), and females 400–425 kg (882–937 lb). Height atwithersof the male ranges from 127 to 137 cm (50 to 54 in), and of the female from 124 to 129 cm (49 to 51 in).
Carabaos prefer to wallow in a mudhole that they make with the horns. Their objective is to acquire a thick coating of mud. They thrive on manyaquatic plantsand in time of flood will graze submerged, raising their heads above the water and carrying quantities of edible plants. They eatreeds, thegiant reed,bulrush,sedges, thecommon water hyacinth, andrushes. Green fodders are used widely for intensive milk production and for fattening. Many fodder crops are conserved as hay, chaffed, or pulped. Trials in the Philippines showed that the carabao, on poor-quality roughage, had a better feed conversion rate than cattle.
In 1993, thePhilippine Carabao Center(PCC) was established to conserve, propagate, and promote the carabao as a source of draft animal power, meat, milk, and hide to benefit the rural farmers through carabaogeneticimprovement, technology development and dissemination, and establishment of carabao-based enterprises, thus ensuring higher income and better nutrition. The National Water Buffalo Gene Pool inMuñoz, Nueva Ecija, is a facility for continuous selection, testing, and propagation of superiorbreedsofdairybuffalo.
Carabaos are mainly used asdraft animalsforpaddy fieldrice cultivation. In 2023, the vast majority of Philippine carabaos (99.3%) are raised for this purpose bysmallholderfarmers.Carabaos raised as draft animals are typically docile and can be trained with simple commands. They are treated as a family pet and are regularly taken to bodies of water to bathe when not working.The advent of modern machinery liketractorsare slowly displacing carabaos in their role as draft animals.
The traditional equipment used with the carabao is aploworharrowattached to the animal by ayoke. In modern times, carabaos are also used to plow fields for crops that grow on dry land, likecorn,sugarcane, orupland rice.Another older method of preparing fields with the carabao is known aspayatak, which is still practiced by some farmers inNorthern Samar. Inpayatak, the soil of the rice paddy is first softened with rainwater or diverted watershed, then the farmer guides a group of carabaos in trampling the planting area until it is soggy enough to receive the rice seedlings. This time-consuming task produces lower yields and lower income when compared with the advancement in irrigated fields.
Before modern equipment, carabaos were also formerly used to thresh rice by trampling them while going around a post, separating the grains from the stalks. They were also used to power stone mills used for crushing sugarcane in pre-modern sugar production.
Carabaos were also widely used for transporting goods in the past, usually via acarabao sled(kangga) or a two-wheeled cart (garetaorcareton, also spelledkaretonorkariton, from Spanishcarretón). Thekanggais typically used for rocky or muddy terrain, and has the advantage of being capable of traveling over rice paddy dikes without destroying them. Thecareton, on the other hand, is typically reserved for traveling on roads. Thecaretoncome in various designs and can be covered in a roof of woven split bamboo (sawali)  or thatchednipa palmleaves (pawid).
One of the many reasons for the failure of the attempted Japanese pacification of the Philippines during their 1941–1945 occupation was their indifference to the basics of the Philippine economy. The carabaos provided the necessary labor that allowed Philippine farmers to grow rice and other staples. Japanese army patrols would not only confiscate the rice, but would also slaughter the carabaos for meat, thereby preventing the farmers from growing enough rice to feed the large population. BeforeWorld War II, an estimated three million carabaos inhabited the Philippines. By the end of the war, an estimated nearly 70% of them had been lost.
Carabao milk is richer and creamier in texture thancoworgoat milk, due to its much higher fat and protein content. It has similar mineral content ascow milk, except it has twice as muchphosphorus. It is characteristically bluish-white in color. Carabao milk is typically home-pasteurizedvia adouble boiler.
Carabao milk is used widely in traditionalFilipino cuisinedue to its easier availability prior to modern importation and the development of canned milk. However, it never became widely commercialized and still remains acottage industry.One of the main goals of the Philippine Carabao Center is the development of a more productive breed of carabaos for commercial dairy production and to encourage the growth of the carabao milk industry in the private sector.
The most common use of carabao milk is for the production ofkesong puti, a traditional soft cheese. It is also used for sweets includingpastillas de leche,tibok-tibok,leche flan, and a traditional ice cream flavor forsorbetesknown ashelado de mantecado. Carabao milk can also eaten for breakfast ormeriendapoured over rice with various other ingredients.
The term "carabeef" is used to refer to the meat of carabaos in the Philippines. It is aportmanteauof "carabao" and "beef" and was originally coined inPhilippine Englishin the 1970s to distinguish the meat of water buffalos from beef.
The butchering of carabaos is strictly regulated under Philippine law in an effort to conserve the population. Only carabaos that are seven years or older (if male) or eleven years or older (if female) can be slaughtered after the acquisition of necessary permits and clearances. In all other instances, the killing of carabaos is illegal. However, this law is often violated due to poor enforcement.
Carabeef is popular in some regions and can be used in dishes in place of beef, like intapa, as well as in commercial processed meat likecorned beefandlongganisa.Carabao skin can also be cooked aschicharon.
Carabaohidewas once used extensively to create a variety of products, including the armor of precolonial Philippine warriors. The horns are also carved and used to make thepommelsof Philippine swords and bladed tools likebolos.Carabao hide is still used forleatherproduction with an estimated total market value of $10 million, as of 2002.
The carabao has been crossbred with other water buffalo breeds. Notable breeds with carabao ancestry include thebuffalypsoofTrinidad and Tobagoand theBrazilian carabaoofBrazil. The buffalypso is the result of breeding programs that crossed the carabao with river-type buffaloes like theMurrah buffalo, theSurti buffalo, theJaffarabadi buffalo, theNili-Ravi, and theBhadawari.Brazilian carabaos (calledkalabaworkalabaninPortuguese) are naturalized populations of swamp-type buffalos, including carabaos, imported fromFrench Indochinato Brazil in the late 19th century.
As of 2023, there are an estimated 2.74 million heads of carabaos in the Philippines. 99.3% are from smallhold farms, while the remaining 0.5% and 0.2% are from semi-commercial and commercial farms, respectively. The highest population of carabaos is from theBicol Region, with an estimated 324,220 heads, followed by theWestern Visayas(251,570),Central Luzon(250,640),Central Visayas(218,290), and theCagayan Valley(208,710).
Carabaos are increasingly being replaced by modern machinery, leading to more and more carabaos being slaughtered for meat as they lose their agricultural importance. They've also gone through population decimations in the past from diseases as well as carabao massacres inWorld War II.
Water buffalos have also been imported from abroad by the Philippine Carabao Center and crossbred with the carabao in an effort to develop a more productive breed for milk production. In 2015, an estimated 10,000 heads of the commercial herds of water buffalo in the Philippines are imported riverine-type breeds, most notably theMurrah buffalo(sourced fromBrazil,Bulgaria, andItaly). Another 29,700 heads are crossbreeds of the carabao and imported river buffaloes.
Despite this, the PCC ensures that the native carabao gene pool is preserved by thecryopreservationof carabaogermplasm. A cryobank facility for this purpose was inaugurated in 2012 in the Livestock Innovations and Biotechnology complex of the PCC national headquarters inMuñoz, Nueva Ecija. The cryobank also holds samples of other native breeds of domestic animals, as well as plans for the preservation of the germplasm of other threatened endemic species.
Various organizations have also created sanctuaries for native carabaos where slaughtering animals is restricted and the introduction of foreign breeds are banned. This includes the communal grazing grounds ofMahataoin theBatanes Islands; the national conservation site of carabaos inPeñablancainCagayan; and the municipality ofPresident Carlos P. GarciainLapinig Island,Bohol.
The carabao is featured in numerous festivals (fiestas) in the Philippines due to its important role in rural farming communities. The festivals which feature carabaos prominently include:
Despite the carabao being widely regarded as thenational animalof thePhilippines,theNational Commission for Culture and the Artsof the Philippines has stated that this still has not been officially recognized by law.House Bill 3926, Philippine National Symbols Act of 2014, was proposed inPhilippine Congresswith the aim of officially declaring the country's national symbols, including the carabao as the national animal. It is currently still pending.
In the late 1980s, the carabao puppet character Kardong Kalabaw became popular as a symbol of the Philippine people's hard work and sense of industry.
TheMilitary Order of the Carabao, a social club started in 1900 by American enlisted men fighting in the Philippine-American War, believes that the water buffalo symbolizes the "camaraderie that grows among members of the armed forces who face the dangers and privations of extensive military service far from home."
Carabao racing is a widely popular sport among farmers and carabao enthusiasts in the Philippines. In central and southernLuzonand inSouth Cotabatosome fiestas have carabao racing as their highlight. Training and conditioning of the race carabao to its full extent is a serious job. Farmers and their trustworthy carabaos gather together to race in a 500 metres (1,600 ft) dirt road. Spectators fill up this unique spectacle, some betting on their best carabaos, others watch for the thrill. The carabaos, geared with their carts on their back, race together with their farmer to win prizes. The race is divided into two classes, one for amateur or first-time carabao racers and the other is for the veteran carabao racers. A race carabao can be bought for ₱35,000 to ₱60,000, with the price increasing with the number of races that it wins. Proven race winners can command a price as high as ₱200,000.
Carabaos were introduced toGuamby Spanish missionaries in the 17th century from domestic stock in the Philippines to be used asbeasts of burden. Aferalherd on theUS Naval Magazinein central Guam was classified as protected game, but the population has been declining since 1982, most likely due toillegal hunting.
Carabaos were used for farming and for pulling carts. They were fairly common on Guam before the 20th century, with a population numbering in the thousands. Today, they are rare in most parts of the island except in the US Naval Magazine near the village ofSanta Rita, which is fenced on all sides. The carabao population of Naval Magazine has grown to several hundred, to the point that they have become a pest and caused environmental damage, and polluted the water supply in the Fena Reservoir. In 2003, the Navy began a program of extermination to control the carabao population of Naval Magazine, a move that was protested by manyChamorro people.
The carabao is considered a symbol of Guam.  In the early 1960s, carabao races were a popular sport in the island, especially during fiestas. Today, carabaos are a part of the popular culture. They are often brought to carnivals or other festivities, and are used as a popular ride for children. Carabao meat is sometimes eaten as a delicacy.