Investigating the Lantau Island Water Buffaloes: An Unforgettable Fieldwork

The Asian Water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) are fascinating group-living social animals. They are important engineers of marshlands, one of the most biologically diverse and productive ecosystems. They help maintain the marshlands by grazing as well as by digging wallows (Figure 1). While these wallows halt the transformation of semi-aquatic marshlands to complete lands, they also serve important physiological roles for the buffalo. Wallowing can regulate body temperature as well as prevent ectoparasitic infection. Wallowing activities can be observed in buffalo frequently, involving lying down, rolling (Figure 2), or sitting in shallow water or mud. Yet there is surprisingly little research on their wallowing behaviour. Being interested in animals, especially wildlife, I could not stop asking some basic questions, like how and when they dig wallows. Who are the ones that use wallows most, males or females? Do individual buffaloes have their own ‘signature’ wallows that they protect? Does social rank play a role in wallow use?

‍

As a second-year veterinary student, I was extremely honoured to be selected for an undergraduate project fellowship from the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB, see here: https://www.asab.org/scholarships/) to address the above-mentioned questions. ASAB is a leading organisation that promotes and supports the study of animal behaviour. I’m still analysing my data, so I will share my field experience below.

‍

The past two months of fieldwork (July and August 2023) have been a physically demanding, yet rewarding experience. I live in a city where 70% of the land is composed of mountains and country parks, yet I rarely seize the opportunity to immerse myself in nature. However, being part of this project has granted me the opportunity to explore Lantau Island and search for these Lantau residents on usually four days a week. A typical day of fieldwork included approximately 14 km of walking to watch the buffalo, identify individual animals, record social interactions, and observe wallowing behaviour. The scorching heat and high humidity made walking in the sun for 4-5 hours daily a formidable challenge. Nevertheless, the more time I spent in the field, the deeper my understanding got regarding the behaviour of the buffaloes. Observing the constant companionship between Missy and Pumpkin, witnessing Amy the calf bonding with another one called Che-Che (Figure 3), and observing the bachelor males congregating in circles in San Wai River (Figure 4) with their heads facing outward — these small discoveries about their habits excited me and propelled me forward despite the challenging weather. With a clearer understanding of individual buffaloes, I recorded the aggressive interactions to determine who had a higher social rank in the herd. To my surprise, they seldom fought among themselves. But they enjoyed using the wallows, sometimes together, sometimes alone. Needless to say, I felt jealous when they were swimming in the cooling river water. I am now eager to analyse my data and see how many questions I can answer; they will likely lead to more future scientific questions on these social gentle giants.

‍

Ariel Wong, City University of Hong Kong

September 4, 2023