Me and the Buffaloes...

Today I saw water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis, out in a rice field. I'd heard that water buffalo could be fierce, unpredictable & out & out fearless; so donning my rubber boots I approached a small herd of five adults & four juveniles very cautiously. Upon my approach they eyed me with little concern so I took my cue & moved closer until I finally hedged within 15 feet of them. I sat cross-legged in the clumps of dirt & vegetation with my drawing journal on my lap drawing these hefty creatures. Farther away a few rolled in the mud insuring their skin protection from biting insects & the thick Thailand heat. As I became absorbed in the observation & meditation of drawing, a young buffalo approached just inside my peripheral range. It stopped & stood next to me as I sat there uncertain of the next moment & bracing myself to be rolled. It first sniffed the brim of my baseball cap, then my nose, the corner of my book, then my hand which it proceeded to lick nonstop for 20 seconds. The wild water buffalo, sometimes classified as a different species, can be a terrifying beast; these "domestic" ungulates have had some of that bred out of them. Further encounters with the water buffaloes & their herders taught me that there are times when distance is required. Both genders own horns & both are sizeable as mature specimens. The female of a yearling emits a thin whine to keep track of her young & the yearling sounds a braying for locating it's mother. TLC