In Annabella, we chose water buffalo milk as the source of all our products because of the benefits of this nutritious milk. Therefore, we are always happy to share with you the benefits and some mouth-watering recipes. But today, we want to teach you about the main protagonist: water buffalos, just because we love them. We are proud of the happy herd that provides us with all the delicious and healthy dairy products that we love.
Our favorite animal: water buffalo
The wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee bubalis) is the largest member of the Bovini tribe, which also includes yak, bison, African buffalo, and others. The strength and its nutritious milk were the reasons why mankind domesticated it for more than 5,000 years.
Water buffalo is originally from the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and China. Nevertheless, they can be found now in Europe, Australia, and North and South America.
Domesticated water buffalo has two subspecies: the river water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), which was tamed for its milk, and the swamp water buffalo (Bubalis carabanesis), which was trained to be a draft animal.
What is the difference between a water buffalo and a buffalo?
The term buffalo has been used to refer to animals that are not so familiar with water buffalo, for example, the American bison. To keep it simple: all water buffalo are buffalo, but not all buffalo are water buffalo.
An easy way to identify it is that most of the other buffalo species have a hump located between their shoulders, while water buffalo have a flat back.
Why is it called a water buffalo?
They earned their name because... they love water, and they spend most of their day submerged in it, sometimes up to their nostrils. This has a purpose. Water buffalo do not possess adequate sweat glands to cool themselves; for this reason, water or mud holes are essential for them.
Why Colombia is a great place for water buffalo
They typically habit tropical forests. The Annabella herd lives in Colombia, one of the most water-rich and biodiverse countries in the world. Colombia provides the perfect climate because it shares the same conditions as the southern regions of Asia, this gives our herd the perfect conditions to live happily.
One day of our herd
Our herd begins and ends its day with food and rest. In Annabella, we practice rotational grazing, which means that our herd has two paddocks per day to eat. This is a way that helps to provide a great source of nourishment for our herd, without hurting the land.
Also, because water buffalo are exclusively herbivores, their diet consists of 100% grass-fed, no hormones, no grain.
Annabella's herd only stays under a ceiling when they are milked. And this happens only two times per day. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
The rest of the time our herd is free to range in the Colombian Andes with plenty of fresh water sources to drink or to refresh, also with muddy places to play, and a lot of trees that provide a spot to rest peacefully.
Facts
Water buffaloes use their horns to dig up the mud and throw it onto themselves.
What do you call a group of buffalos? A herd, mostly a herd, will consist of around six to eight adult females and their respective calves, that may or may not have a male accompanying them.
Young males who travel in all-male groups are called bachelor herds.
Buffalo has large hoofed feet, which prevent the sinking of the animal into the mud.
We love our herd, and they love the fresh air, water, and grass from our farms, and we believe that when things are made with love, good things happen. That’s the reason why at the end of every product happiness is waiting.
