The Carabao

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 Introduction
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 Carabaoes (swamp type water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis) were
introduced to Guam by Spanish missionaries in the 17th century
from domestic stock in the Philippines to be used as beast of
burden.
 Introduction
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 A feral herd on the US Naval Magazine in central Guam was classified

as protected game, but the population has been declining since 1982
due to illegal hunting.
 Introduction
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 The Carabao population of Naval Magazine has grown to several
hundreds, to the point that they have become pest and caused
environmental damage and polluted the water supply in Fena
Reservoir.
 Introduction
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 Despite of the popular notion that this bovine has
been declared as the national animal of the
Philippines.
 Introduction

 In 1993, the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) was establish to conserve

propagate and promote the carabao as a source of draft animal power,
meat, milk and hide to benefit the rural farmers through the carabao
genetic improvement, technology development and dissemination,
and establishment of carabao-based enterprises, thus ensuring higher
income and better nutrition.
 Introduction
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 The Philippine Carabao Center based at the University of Souhern
Mindanao(PCC at USM), Kabacan, Cotabato continuously takes the lead in
delivering its program and services and performs it shares in assisting poor
farmers through Carabao Development Program.

 The Program primarily aims to find ways to improve the genetic potentials of
native water buffaloes for milk and meat that will ultimately promote productive
buffalo- based enterprises particularly in South Central Mindanao.
Introduction
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History of Carabao

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 History of Carabao
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 These water buffaloes were introduced into the Philippines
around 300BC by Malay and Chinese settlers.
 History of Carabao
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 In the early 1900’s, larger carabaos from Cambodia
were imported, as well as other buffaloes from India
and Pakistan.

Jafarabadi Buffalo in
India
 History of Carabao
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 The term carabao is used to refer to any imported or native
water buffaloes in the Philippines.

 The oldest evidence of water buffaloes discovered in the

Philippines are multiple fragmentary skeletal remains
 History of Carabao
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recovered from the upper layers of the Neolithic Nagsabaran site, part of
Lal-lo and Gattaran Shell of Northern Luzon.

 Based on the radiocarbon date of the

layer in which the oldest fragments
were found, water buffaloes were
first introduced to the Philippines by
at least 500 BCE.
Breeds of Carabao
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Production
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Status of Carabao in
Market
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