Enormous horned water mammals make a rare appearance on Thailand trail camera

Miami Herald

16-05-2025

The only herd of wild water buffalo left in Thailand made a rare appearance on camera at a wildlife sanctuary.
The large mammals, with their distinct long curved horns, were captured on camera traps at Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, according to a May 14 Facebook post from Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
Wildlife officials said that although this species, Bubalus arnee, looks like the domestic water buffalo, it is much larger and can be 6.5 feet tall when fully grown.
The species lives in small herds and can be found in floodplains, swamps and riverside forests. They forage day and night for grass, tree leaves and bamboo shoots, officials said.
Officials said Thailand's only population of wild water buffalo — made up of 69 individuals — is found in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in Uthai Thani Province.
The wild buffalo are at high risk of extinction, according to officials. They are one of 21 protected wildlife species under Thailand's Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act of 2019.
The species faces threats from hunting, habitat loss, interbreeding with domestic cattle, and disease spread by domestic livestock, according to experts.
Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary is about a 185-mile drive northwest from Bangkok.
Google Translate was used to translate the Facebook post from Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.