Kerbau, or to a Mat Saleh, a water buffalo, is plentiful around here. They are found everywhere. Most of the east coast Malays are fond of kerbau meat compared to beef. They say that kerbau meat is more tender than beef.
A kerbau is also considered cleaner as cows are scavangers and eat rubbish. At least that’s what they say. I’m not jealous of kerbau owners because rearing kerbaus is hard work.
This one guy I know owns about 250 kerbaus. That is a lot of kerbaus. Each kerbau can easily fetch RM2,000 or more.
Mathematically, that is 250 heads of kerbaus multiplied by RM2,000, equals 500,000 ringgit Malaysia. That is a lot of smackeroos. Therefore, it is a lucrative business.
Ali (not his real name) has been rearing kerbaus for the past 20 years, a legacy inherited from his late father and is the main breadwinner of his family.
Kerbau are easy animals to take care of. They are strong, hardy and resilient animals and relatively free of diseases. Water buffaloes love to wallow in mud and water or ‘Eww’.
To accommodate his 250 kerbaus, Ali converted disused padi fields belonging to him and that of others into a big wallowing haven for the beasts.
He lets them roam free and they go anywhere they want. His kerbaus are often found outside swampy areas looking to graze on greener pastures and exotic plants.
The downside to this is that they wander into someone’s vegetable patch and wreak havoc, oftentimes obliterating whole farms and causing major financial damage.
They also a major menace when they end up along the trunk road to Jerantut and Temerloh. This area is heavy in traffic. This is where the problem really begins.
Kerbaus are hardly visible when you’re driving at 100km an hour on a rainy night. They are dark-skinned and can only be discernable from about 50 feet and slamming on the brakes at distance does not usually bode well for man or beast.
What happens is, you brake, the wheels lock and you go hurtling forward and unless you take evasive action, the car drifts dangerously towards the nearest kerbau.
If you are lucky, your car will only be dented and you escape injuries. If you are lucky that is. A friend of mine, ploughed into a kerbau one time and by God’s grace, he was not injured.
He tried locating the owner of the kerbau, but no one came forward to take responsibility. This friend, who is a rubber tapper with two schoolgoing children had to withdraw RM3,000 of his hard-earned savings to pay for repairs to his damaged car.
In another fatal case, in 1997, my school gardener who had four mouths to feed, rammed into a kerbau and died on the spot.
Kerbaus on the road are dangerous. The authorities seem indifferent to these incidences and have thus far not taken adequate measures to tackle the situation.
All they do is patrol the road once in a while. I have never seen them cage this traffic-hazard or fine careless and irresponsible owners of kerbaus.
The Perhilitan or the Wildlife and Taman Negara Corporation, it is learnt, is supposed to be responsible in keeping kerbaus out of harm’s way.
The trunk road from Temerloh to Jerantut in Pahang is the notorious location and drivers are advised to be extra cautious, especially at night.
Imagine a family losing their breadwinner due to man’s selfishness, greed and ignorance.
Irresponsible kerbau owners and the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities are going to wreck cars, bikes, and injure or take more lives.
In this modern age, for a country hurtling towards a developed nation status by 2020, this situation is unacceptable. Enough is enough. The authorities must act.
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Akmal Ariffin, a 50-year-old schoolteacher tutoring English, is a citizen journalist trained by Malaysiakini. Malaysiakini welcomes contributions from citizens on stories of interest from their areas.
Tags: kerbau, local governance, malaysia, wildlife department
