Save Swamp Buffaloes from the Extinction!

Finally after a very deep slumber this blog raises his hands again, it's a good new beginning I think. I'm not going to tell you good news as well, sorry, I change my mind to reborn this blog with a new concept. It's going to look like a daily report rather than an online magazine. But the information I'll share must be so useful and enrich your knowledge.

Well, this post will tell you about the swamp buffaloes and the threat that is hiding behind their lives. Last month I went to a place in Nagara district of South Kalimantan (borneo) province. There was a job for me and my team to identify the problem happened there. 

Swamp buffaloes is the endemic animal species of South Kalimantan, you may only find this kind of animal here. They have a little difference with the common buffaloes. They live in a swamp land, swimming all days, feeding themselves and physically different with the buffaloes you find in other places. These buffaloes have been being raised since centuries ago by the native of the village. They used to have thousands buffaloes to look after. But now, through many challenges the farmers had, they only have about 150 buffaloes, totally significant decreasing when the previous year they had almost 600 buffaloes. Surely it makes any questions in our head, how could it happen? Yes it could. Environmental issue was one of the case we were trying to identify.

About 3 years ago was built there a new palm plantation with a large mount of swamp land by a corporation. The plantation going well, made their planting areas above the swamp land where the buffaloes live. We all know when a corporation made a new project, they must pass some procedures following the standard made by government and the experts so that they'd get the permission to have the project started. But we don't know if it's going to be well in the future or not. 

The farmers told so many things with us about how their buffaloes could die in a big mount, more than 5 buffaloes died in a day since the issue happened. The animal husbandry department told them that it was caused by the disease, but the farmers didn't really believe in it so they called us to re-analyze the problem. I was one of the team handling in soil problem, and another members handling in other side such the weed species, water condition, animal's health and etc. 

This phenomenon is the sign of the impact of the destroyed natural environment. Though we couldn't conclude the reason behind this phenomenon until the analyze result been released, we can guess that it's important to consider the project works as well as it has to be without affecting everything around. Ok, I'll post the result as I get it later, hope it done soon. If it's true that the reason of the death buffaloes caused by the disturbance of palm plantation, we should struggle the existence of that species, it's more important than having money so much but live not in harmony.