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{{short description|Philippine water buffalo}}{{other uses}}{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2017}}

factoids

Carabaos () are a genetically distinct population of swamp-type water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis kerebau) from the Philippines.FAO 2013. Philippine Carabao/Philippines In: Domestic Animal Diversity Information System. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. They descended from domesticated swamp buffalo populations from Taiwan that were introduced to the Philippines in the Neolithic via the Austronesian expansion. They were also further introduced to Sulawesi and Borneo of eastern Indonesia and Malaysia.Carabaos are the traditional draft animals in the Philippines for paddy field rice cultivation and are commonly raised by smallholder farmers. They were also formerly widely used for the transport of goods throughout the islands. They are a source of carabao milk and carabeef, among other products. The carabao is widely considered to be the national animal of the Philippines and symbolizes hard work.WEB, Hsu, Chia Chi, 2022-02-28, The Philippines: Carabao,weblink 2023-09-08, Southeast Asia Globe, en-US, Carabaos were introduced to Guam from the Philippines in the 17th century. They have also acquired great cultural significance to the Chamorro people and are considered the unofficial national animal of Guam.BOOK, Minahan, James B.,weblink The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems [2 volumes], 2009-12-23, ABC-CLIO, 978-0-313-34497-8, en, The term "carabao" is also sometimes used for the kerbau in Malaysia, which is the official animal of the state of Negeri Sembilan.WEB,weblink ..:: Majlis Perbandaran Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, MALAYSIA ::, 2008-03-09, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080313232900weblink">weblink March 13, 2008, ms, However, water buffaloes from Peninsular Malaysia and western Indonesia (Java and Sumatra) are not carabaos and descend from different populations that were introduced through a later separate route from Mainland Southeast Asia rather than through Taiwan.JOURNAL, Lau, C. H., Drinkwater, R. D., Yusoff, K., Tan, S. G., Hetzel, D. J. S., Barker, J. S. F., Genetic diversity of Asian water buffalo ( Bubalus bubalis ): mitochondrial DNA D-loop and cytochrome b sequence variation, Animal Genetics, August 1998, 29, 4, 253–264, 10.1046/j.1365-2052.1998.00309.x, 9745663,

Names and etymology

(File:2011 Feb, Puerto Princesa to Nasiduan, 10.jpg|thumb|A female carabao () with calf)The English term "carabao" is borrowed from the Spanish word , which is derived from Eastern Visayan (likely Waray) .BOOK, Roberts, E. A., A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language with Families of Words based on Indo-European Roots, I (A–G), XLibris LLC, 2014, 311, 9781493191109,weblink JOURNAL, William Henry Scott, 1990, Sixteenth-century Visayan Food and Farming, Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, 18, 4, 291–311, 29792029, The female is called (in Spanish) a . Cognates include Cebuano , Tagalog , Kavalan , Minangkabau kabau, Malay/Indonesian kerbau, Javanese , and Indonesian Dutch .BOOK, Cockrill, W. R., Animal Production and Health Series, 4, The Water Buffalo, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1977, 978-9251001080,weblink February 23, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130616141330weblink">weblink June 16, 2013, dead, mdy-all, These Austronesian terms appear to be loanwords from the Austroasiatic languages and likely derives from a secondary pre-colonial introduction of water buffaloes into Island Southeast Asia via western Indonesia.WEB, Kabaw,weblink Binisaya – Cebuano Dictionary and Thesaurus, Bin, August 10, 2017, However, it is also clear that Austronesians already had ancient terms for the carabao, reconstructed as Proto-Austronesian *qaNuaÅ‹. Cognates include Papora , Thao , Siraya , Rukai , Ilocano , Tagalog or , Kankanaey , Isneg , Itawis , Bontoc , Ifugao , and Aklanon . Cognates survive into Sulawesi, but the terms there apply to the related anoa. Similarly, Hanunó'o also refers to the tamaraw of Mindoro, rather than the carabao. These terms spread southwards from Taiwan, indicating that domesticated carabaos were carried partially into the Philippines during the Austronesian expansion, but didn't move further south into the rest of Island Southeast Asia until the second introduction from Mainland Southeast Asia. The reason for this is unknown.WEB, Blust, Robert, Trussel, Stephen, *qaNuaÅ‹,weblink Austronesian Comparative Dictionary, 7 January 2024, BOOK, Zorc, R. David Paul, Core Etymological Dictionary of Filipino, 1982, Darwin Community College, PNC-La Salle-Ateneo Consortium, Linguistic Society of the Philippines, Surian ng Wikang Pambansa, fasc. 3,weblink Other native names for carabaos include in Tagalog, Bikol, and Kapampangan; in Pangasinan; and in Ivatan.BOOK, Estrada-Villegas, Valente, Carabao Husbandry, 1952, D.P. Perez, Manila, 24, The resemblance of the word "carabao" to caribou is coincidental, and they do not share a common etymology — an example of a false cognate.

History

File:GLIMPSE OF BATAD.jpg|thumb|A carabao in the Banaue Rice TerracesBanaue Rice TerracesThe oldest evidence of water buffalo discovered in the Philippines is multiple fragmentary skeletal remains recovered from the upper layers of the Neolithic Nagsabaran site, part of the Lal-lo and Gattaran Shell Middens (~2200 BCE to 400 CE) of northern Luzon. 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, stone adzes, and jade bracelets; which have strong affinities to similar artifacts from Neolithic Austronesian archeological sites in Taiwan. Based on the radiocarbon date of the layer in which the oldest fragments were found, water buffalo were already present in the Philippines by at least 500 BCE.JOURNAL, Amano, Noel, Piper, Philip J., Hung, Hsiao-chun, Bellwood, Peter, Introduced Domestic Animals in the Neolithic and Metal Age of the Philippines: Evidence From Nagsabaran, Northern Luzon, The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, 2013, 8, 3, 317–335, 10.1080/15564894.2013.781084, 131368496, 1885/22954, free, JOURNAL, Mijares, Armand Salvador B., The early Austronesian migration to Luzon: perspectives from the Peñablanca Cave Sites, Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association Bulletin, 2006, 26, 72–78, 10.1.1.403.7868, Genetic studies have shown that the closest related populations to carabaos are the swamp buffalo populations of Taiwan, which in turn descended from swamp buffaloes from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze Delta. This indicates that carabaos were carried along by the Austronesian migrations into the Philippines from Taiwan, and then further onward to Borneo and Sulawesi. Carabaos are genetically distinct from the swamp buffaloes of Peninsular Malaysia and western Indonesia (Java and Sumatra), which show closer affinities to swamp buffaloes from Mainland Southeast Asia, indicating that they originated from a different introduction pathway.JOURNAL, Villamor, Lilian P., Nomura, Koh, Amano, Takashi, Takahashi, Yukimizu, Genetic Divergence and Phylogenetic Relationship of Philippine Carabao (Bubalus bubalis) and Other Swamp Buffalo Populations in Neighboring Countries Revealed by the Mitochondrial DNA D-loop Region, Journal of Agriculture Science Tokyo, 2021, 66, 3, 65–74, JOURNAL, Colli, Licia, Milanesi, Marco, Vajana, Elia, Iamartino, Daniela, Bomba, Lorenzo, Puglisi, Francesco, Del Corvo, Marcello, Nicolazzi, Ezequiel L., Ahmed, Sahar S. E., Herrera, Jesus R. V., Cruz, Libertado, Zhang, Shujun, Liang, Aixin, Hua, Guohua, Yang, Liguo, Hao, Xingjie, Zuo, Fuyuan, Lai, Song-Jia, Wang, Shuilian, Liu, Ruyu, Gong, Yundeng, Mokhber, Mahdi, Mao, Yongjiang, Guan, Feng, Vlaic, Augustin, Vlaic, Bogdan, Ramunno, Luigi, Cosenza, Gianfranco, Ahmad, Ali, Soysal, Ihsan, Ãœnal, Emel Ö., Ketudat-Cairns, Mariena, Garcia, José F., Utsunomiya, Yuri T., Baruselli, Pietro S., Amaral, Maria E. J., Parnpai, Rangsun, Drummond, Marcela G., Galbusera, Peter, Burton, James, Hoal, Eileen, Yusnizar, Yulnawati, Sumantri, Cece, Moioli, Bianca, Valentini, Alessio, Stella, Alessandra, Williams, John L., Ajmone-Marsan, Paolo, New Insights on Water Buffalo Genomic Diversity and Post-Domestication Migration Routes From Medium Density SNP Chip Data, Frontiers in Genetics, 2 March 2018, 9, 10.3389/fgene.2018.00053, free, 29552025, 11449/170726, free,

Description

(File:Carabao at Bohol 2017 e.jpg|alt=Philippine carabao|thumb|A carabao wallowing at a mudhole)Carabaos have the low, wide, and heavy build of draft animals. They vary in color from light grey to slate grey. The horns are sickle-shaped or curve backward toward the neck. Chevrons are common. Albinoids are present in the proportion of about 3% of the buffalo population. Mature male carabaos weigh {{convert|420|-|500|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, and females {{convert|400|-|425|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. Height at withers of the male ranges from {{convert|127|to|137|cm|in|abbr=on}}, and of the female from {{convert|124|to|129|cm|in|abbr=on}}.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 many aquatic plants and in time of flood will graze submerged, raising their heads above the water and carrying quantities of edible plants. They eat reeds, the giant reed, bulrush, sedges, the common water hyacinth, and rushes. 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.

Husbandry

In 1993, the Philippine 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 carabao genetic improvement, technology development and dissemination, and establishment of carabao-based enterprises, thus ensuring higher income and better nutrition. The National Water Buffalo Gene Pool in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, is a facility for continuous selection, testing, and propagation of superior breeds of dairy buffalo.Philippine Carabao Center (2011). Annual Report{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Department of Agriculture.

Draft animals

(File:Carabao with sled, 1899.jpg|thumb|A carabao sled () in the Philippines (c. 1899))(File:Carabao Cart, Albay Province, Philippines LCCN2014690052.jpg|thumb|A carabao cart () in the Philippines (c. 1910))Carabaos are mainly used as draft animals for paddy field rice cultivation. In 2023, the vast majority of Philippine carabaos (99.3%) are raised for this purpose by smallholder farmers. 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.BOOK, Forbes-Lindsay, C. H., The Philippines Under Spanish and American Rules, 1906, J. C. Winston Company, 442, BOOK, Hannaford, Ebenezer, History and Description of Our Philippine Wonderland, 1899, Crowell & Kirkpatrick Company, 163, The advent of modern machinery like tractors are slowly displacing carabaos in their role as draft animals.NEWS, Milking Profits from the Carabao,weblink 10 February 2024, Business Diary, 3 May 2019, The traditional equipment used with the carabao is a plow or harrow attached to the animal by a yoke. In modern times, carabaos are also used to plow fields for crops that grow on dry land, like corn, sugarcane, or upland rice.NEWS, Roque, Anselmo, Appreciating the carabao,weblink 10 February 2024, Punto!, 28 October 2018, WEB, Daro and Yugo,weblink The Philippines Today, September 6, 2020, 10 February 2024, Another older method of preparing fields with the carabao is known as , which is still practiced by some farmers in Northern Samar. In , 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.Philippine Daily Inquirer, 8-18-2007. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028164754weblink |date=October 28, 2007 }}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 a carabao sled () or a two-wheeled cart ( or , also spelled or , from Spanish ). The is typically used for rocky or muddy terrain, and has the advantage of being capable of traveling over rice paddy dikes without destroying them. The , on the other hand, is typically reserved for traveling on roads. The come in various designs and can be covered in a roof of woven split bamboo (sawali) or thatched nipa palm leaves (pawid).BOOK, Zabilka, Gladys, Customs and Culture of the Philippines, 1963, C. E. Tuttle Company, 9780804801348, 37, NEWS, The Last Calesa Maker: How A Proud Fernandino Kept A Fading Industry Alive,weblink 30 March 2024, Capital Town Pampanga, 28 March 2019, 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. Before World 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.Schmidt, L. S. (1982). American Involvement in the Filipino Resistance on Mindanao During the Japanese Occupation, 1942–1945. M.S. Thesis. U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

Dairy products

{{See also|Water buffalo#Dairy products}}File:Kesong puti.jpg|thumb|Kesong putiKesong putiFile:Pastillas made from carabao's milk.jpg|thumb|Pastillas de lechePastillas de lecheCarabao milk is richer and creamier in texture than cow or goat milk, due to its much higher fat and protein content. It has similar mineral content as cow milk, except it has twice as much phosphorus. It is characteristically bluish-white in color. Carabao milk is typically home-pasteurized via a double boiler.Carabao milk is used widely in traditional Filipino cuisine due to its easier availability prior to modern importation and the development of canned milk. However, it never became widely commercialized and still remains a cottage 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.NEWS, Enterprise Development,weblink 11 February 2024, Philippine Carabao Center, Department of Agriculture, Republic of the Philippines, The most common use of carabao milk is for the production of kesong puti, a traditional soft cheese. It is also used for sweets including pastillas de leche, tibok-tibok, leche flan, and a traditional ice cream flavor for sorbetes known as helado de mantecado. Carabao milk can also eaten for breakfast or merienda poured over rice with various other ingredients.

Meat

{{See also|Buffalo meat}}The term "carabeef" is used to refer to the meat of carabaos in the Philippines. It is a portmanteau of "carabao" and "beef" and was originally coined in Philippine English in the 1970s to distinguish the meat of water buffalos from beef.NEWS, Doctor, Vikram, Ban on cow slaughter in Maharashtra: Why Indian consumers should insist on buffalo milk & carabeef,weblink 11 February 2024, The Economic Times, 8 March 2015, JOURNAL, Joanino, Charlene, Carabeef takes limelight in Buglasan 2019's Organic Farm Family Congress and Agri-Fair, Bubalus, 4 November 2019, 2, 9,weblink 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.BOOK, Fernandez, Doreen G., Walker, Harlan, Milk: Beyond the Dairy, 2000, Oxford Symposium, Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 1999, 9781903018064, 126–136, Carabao Milk in Philippine Life, NEWS, Ganancial, Rachel, ProVet says no law prohibiting use of carabao meat in corned beef,weblink 11 February 2024, Palawan News, 21 July 2022, Carabeef is popular in some regions and can be used in dishes in place of beef, like in tapa, as well as in commercial processed meat like corned beef and longganisa.NEWS, Cardiñoza, Gabriel, Pangasinan's carabeef business flourishes,weblink 10 February 2024, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 11 February 2024, NEWS, The prospects of carabao industry,weblink SunStar, 20 October 2013, Carabao skin can also be cooked as chicharon.

Other products

Carabao hide was 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 the pommels of Philippine swords and bladed tools like bolos.BOOK,weblink Bulletin – United States National Museum, 1917, Smithsonian Institution Press, 107, en, Carabao hide is still used for leather production with an estimated total market value of $10 million, as of 2002.

Cross-breeding

The carabao has been crossbred with other water buffalo breeds. Notable breeds with carabao ancestry include the buffalypso of Trinidad and Tobago and the Brazilian carabao of Brazil. The buffalypso is the result of breeding programs that crossed the carabao with river-type buffaloes like the Murrah buffalo, the Surti buffalo, the Jaffarabadi buffalo, the Nili-Ravi, and the Bhadawari.BOOK, Borghese, Antonio, Chiariotti, Antonella, Barile, Vittoria Lucia, Buffalo in the World: Situation and Perspectives, Biotechnological Applications in Buffalo Research, 2022, 3–31, 10.1007/978-981-16-7531-7_1, 978-981-16-7530-0, Brazilian carabaos (called or in Portuguese) are naturalized populations of swamp-type buffalos, including carabaos, imported from French Indochina to Brazil in the late 19th century.BOOK, Porter, Valerie, Alderson, Lawrence, Hall, Stephen J.G., Sponenberg, D. Phillip, Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding, 2016, 978-1-84593-466-8, 962–963,

Conservation

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 the Bicol Region, with an estimated 324,220 heads, followed by the Western Visayas (251,570), Central Luzon (250,640), Central Visayas (218,290), and the Cagayan Valley (208,710).WEB, Carabao Situation Report, July-September 2023,weblink Philippine Statistics Authority, Republic of the Philippines, 11 February 2024, 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 in World War II.JOURNAL, Roque, Anselmo S., Irang, Ma. Cecilia C., Marcelo, Chrissalyn L., Native carabaos are forever, PCC Newsletter, 2015, 14, 2, 12–15, 34,weblink NEWS, Villamor, Lilian P., CPG native carabao conservation: Current status and way forward,weblink 11 February 2024, Philippine Carabao Center, Department of Agriculture, Republic of the Philippines, 26 December 2019, 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 the Murrah buffalo (sourced from Brazil, Bulgaria, and Italy). 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 the cryopreservation of carabao germplasm. A cryobank facility for this purpose was inaugurated in 2012 in the Livestock Innovations and Biotechnology complex of the PCC national headquarters in Muñoz, 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 of Mahatao in the Batanes Islands; the national conservation site of carabaos in Peñablanca in Cagayan; and the municipality of President Carlos P. Garcia in Lapinig Island, Bohol.

In culture

Festivals

File:0394ajfKneeling Carabaos Festival Pulilan Fiestafvf 16.jpg|thumb|A painted carabao in the Kneeling Carabao Festival of Pulilan, BulacanPulilan, BulacanThe carabao is featured in numerous festivals () in the Philippines due to its important role in rural farming communities. The festivals which feature carabaos prominently include:JOURNAL, Irang, Ma. Cecilia C., How the carabao is honored in different PH festivities, PCC Newsletter, 2015, 14, 2, 33,weblink

• Pasungay Festival (San Joaquin, Iloilo) - A religious festival honoring Sto. Niño held every 3rd Saturday of January. The highlight of the festival is a traditional fight between two bull carabaos.
• Kariton Festival (Licab, Nueva Ecija) - A cultural festival held every last Saturday of March. It celebrates the carabao-drawn cart () used by the town's founding father.
• Kesong Puti Festival (Sta. Cruz, Laguna) - A cultural festival held from April 1 to 9 celebrating the traditional kesong puti industry.
• Karbo Festival (Vigan, Ilocos Sur) - A cultural festival held on the first week of May. It features a parade of painted carabaos. The name of the festival is derived from the local term for carabao.
• Carabao-Carroza Festival (Pavia, Iloilo) - A cultural festival held on May 3. It is the oldest festival of its kind and features a parade of colorful decorated carabao sleds.
• Gatas ng Kalabaw Festival (Nueva Ecija) - A provincial festival held on the second week of May aiming to promote carabao milk.
• Pastillas Festival (San Miguel, Bulacan) - A cultural festival held from May 5 to 7. It is a celebration of the town's traditional and iconic pastillas de leche industry which is made from carabao milk.
• Kneeling Carabao Festival (Pulilan, Bulacan) - A religious festival held on May 14. The highlight of the event is the kneeling of carabaos as they pass in front of the town church.
• Pahiyas Festival (Lucban, Quezon) - A century-old cultural festival held every May 15. The highlight of the festival is a parade of colorful decorated carabao carts.
• San Isidro Labrador Festival (Angono, Rizal) - A religious festival held on May 15 honoring the town's patron saint, St. Isidore the Laborer. The highlight of the festival is a procession of carabaos with decorated carts full of farm products.
• Katigbawan Festival (Catigbian, Bohol) - A cultural festival held on June 16. It celebrates the carabao and its contributions to farmers.
• Queseo Festival (Compostela, Cebu) - A cultural festival held from June 24 to 25. The festival celebrates a local traditional cheese, the queseo, made from carabao milk.
• Nuang Festival (San Agustin, Isabela) - A cultural festival held on September 28. It celebrates the founding anniversary of the town and features a parade of carabaos.
• Karabaw Festival (Gandara, Samar) - A cultural festival held on September 29. It celebrates the carabao and features street dancers depicting carabaos.
• Turogpo Festival (Carigara, Leyte) - A cultural festival held during Holy Saturday. The word means "match" and it features a fight between two carabao bulls until one of them runs away from their opponent.

Symbolism

File:Nueva Ecija -Carabao Racing.jpg|thumb|Carabao racing at the fiesta of Aliaga, Nueva EcijaAliaga, Nueva EcijaDespite the carabao being widely regarded as the national animal of the Philippines,BOOK, Aquino, Dante M., Persoon, Gerald A., 2013, Tradition and Change: Beer Consumption in Northeast Luzon, Philippines,weblink Schiefenhovel, Wulf, Macbeth, Helen, Liquid Bread: Beer and Brewing in Cross-Cultural Perspective, Volume 7 of Anthropology of Food & Nutrition, Berghahn Books, 9781782380344, 197, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines has stated that this still has not been officially recognized by law.WEB, Pangilinan, Leon Jr., In Focus: 9 Facts You May Not Know About Philippine National Symbols,weblink 3 October 2014, 8 January 2019, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, November 26, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161126154959weblink">weblink dead, House Bill 3926, Philippine National Symbols Act of 2014, was proposed in Philippine Congress with the aim of officially declaring the country's national symbols, including the carabao as the national animal. It is currently still pending.NEWS, Panti, Llanesca T., Bill expands official national symbols list,weblink 11 February 2024, The Manila Times, 1 March 2014, NEWS, Bacani, Louis, House bill officially declares adobo as national food,weblink 11 February 2024, PhilStar Global, 28 February 2014, NEWS, Bill seeks to make adobo, jeepney, carabao as PH national symbols,weblink 11 February 2024, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 28 February 2014, 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.{{Citation |url=http://www.filipinojournal.com/v2/index.php?pagetype=read&article_num=10242007004700&latest_issue=V21-N20 |title=May Natutunan Ka Ba kay Kiko Matsing? |publisher=The Filipino Journal |author=Alfie Vera Mella |access-date=2007-12-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211181431weblink |archive-date=February 11, 2009 }}The Military 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."WEB, Hsu, Chia Chi, 2022-02-28, The Philippines: Carabao,weblink 2023-09-08, Southeast Asia Globe, en-US,

Carabao racing

Carabao racing is a widely popular sport among farmers and carabao enthusiasts in the Philippines. In central, southern Luzon and South Cotabato some fiestas are highlighted with carabaos racing up towards the finish line. 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 {{convert|500|m}} 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.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

In Guam

File:Carabao plow, page 25, Island of Guam (1917) (cropped).jpg|thumb|A carabao plowing a field in GuamGuamCarabaos were introduced to Guam by Spanish missionaries in the 17th century from domestic stock in the Philippines to be used as beasts of burden. A feral herd on the US Naval Magazine in central Guam was classified as protected game, but the population has been declining since 1982, most likely due to illegal hunting.Conry, P. J. (1988). "Management of feral and exotic game species on Guam" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304094021weblink |date=March 4, 2016 }}. Transactions of the Western Section of the Wildlife Society 24: 26–30.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 of Santa 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 many Chamorro people.{{citation needed|date=February 2013}}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.BOOK, Cunningham, Lawrence J.,weblink Guam: A Natural History, Beaty, Janice J., 2001, Bess Press, 978-1-57306-067-7, en,

See also

{{Commons category}}{{Wikispecies|Bubalus bubalis}}

• Tamaraw
• Philippine Carabao Center
• Military Order of the Carabao
• List of water buffalo breeds

References

{{reflist|30em}}{{Symbols of the Philippines}}{{Water buffalo breeds}}

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