Thailand: Chonburi celebrates the water buffalo

The water buffalo race is one of the main attractions in Chonburi. The coastal city is about an hour's drive from the Thai capital Bangkok. Once a year, fans, breeders, and jockeys of these undemanding animals gather here to celebrate their water buffaloes with parades, beauty contests, and buffalo races.

The buffaloes and their proud owners parade through the streets of Chonburi in magnificent costumes. Before tractors were introduced into agriculture, the lives of farmers in Thailand were closely linked to water buffaloes. Known for their strength and endurance, they were the preferred beasts of burden and draft animals for farmers.

Water buffalo need to be able to cool down. The fire department provides farmers with large quantities of water for the duration of the festival. Many farmers started raising buffalo as a hobby, and it has become very popular. In 2017, the government established "Thai Buffalo Conservation Day" and supports livestock farmers in keeping the animals.

At the beauty contest, an expert jury assesses the size of the horns, the quality of the hooves, and the overall appearance of the buffalo. Some farmers put their animals on a special diet of corn, soybeans, and vitamins and bathe them daily. The effort can be worthwhile: last year, a prize-winning water buffalo was sold for the equivalent of $672,000 (€578,000).

The speed of these supposedly placid animals is the focus of the popular water buffalo race. Large start numbers are painted on the animals to identify them. Then they race across the sand with their jockeys and compete on a 100-meter sprint track.

The audience cheers enthusiastically for the jockeys and their animals. Although buffalo events are nothing new in Chonburi, "each year it has become bigger," says Papada Srisophon, assistant to a village chief. The competitions are an important incentive for farmers. "Without this activity, they won't know what to do with their buffaloes."

Many water buffalo owners grew up with these gentle animals themselves. As farm animals, buffalo cannot compete with the machines of modern agriculture. But the farmers have a strong connection to their animals. One of them describes it this way: "'People raise buffaloes, and buffaloes raise people. It's like a family member."