Four-legged off roader – the water ox farm animal

Water buffalo breeder Peter Biel with some of his animals.

They turn a head or two when you see them on a field. No you are not looking at an ordinary cow, but at a burly, shaggy animal with huge horns. After being introduced to Germany over ten years ago, water buffalo are still an unusual sight and quite an attraction. The breeders, though, are not after a show effect, they are more interested in the special characteristics of the “bubalus bubalis”, an animal that cannot be cross bred with cows. The buffalo haven’t got anything in common with Bison.

“They are primeval animals – robust – with pure genes,” says Peter Biel. “This is what makes them interesting for breeders. They are not picky when it comes to food either, as they eat grass, thistles, nettles and sand couch grass and they are comfortable in boggy and marshy areas. Therefore, the water ox can be used in areas not used for normal cows.”

With his Büffelfarm Hatten he is one of the pioneers in water ox breeding in Germany and also president of the International Alliance for the use of water buffalos as landscapers in Europe (Internationalen Förderverbandes zum Einsatz des Wasserbüffels als Landschaftspfleger in Europa (IFWL)).

There are about 2,500 of these animals in Germany, says Peter Biel, most of them in those counties with natural grazing land. Statistics say the main water ox areas of Germany are Saxony, Brandenburg, Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg. Not only are these animals well-behaved, undemanding and can be kept without having to comply with special regulations (as you have to when keeping bison or elk), they also have great stamina. You can keep one animal on one hectare of land all year round. If there is enough extra land available, the shaggy beasts can even go through the winter without you having to feed them extra hay or straw.

Not only is the water buffalo interesting for farmers because they can be used to graze on land after other farm animals cannot be used on it anymore, but also because if they are used on land bordering your farm for landscape purposes, you can get grants from the government. In Rhineland-Palatinate six water buffalos were used on 16-hectare land and the county awarded them a grant of about 96.000 Euro, says Peter Biel.

The price for one animal depends a lot on supply. Many animals are exchanged between breeders around Europe. Peter Biel says you can expect to pay about 2,500 to 3,000 Euro per beast. This is more than for a cow but you have to look at the bigger picture. The water ox breeder also has special products like the milk, which for instance, is used for the famous buffalo mozzarella cheese, or the high-quality meat, which reaches very good prices.

Farmers selling their produce directly to the customer have to be creative. They have to check out the market of the surrounding areas, for instance, to see if there are any gourmet restaurants or similar. Or maybe even an attraction like the “Buffalo-Bratwurst” as seen in the part of Germany known as the Oldenburger Land.