Wild Footage of a Buffalo Herd that Wrecked a Couple’s Swimming Pool

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This crazy footage proves that water buffalo have no idea how to conduct themselves at a pool party. And these guys weren’t even invited! It shows the herd wrecking an Essex couple’s backyard and swimming pool. Captured in the UK in the summer of 2022, the footage shows how several animals actually fell through the pool cover! Luckily, all of the buffalo were rescued unharmed, but it was a costly incident for the farmer, who ended up having to pay £25,000 in compensation.

Where Do Water Buffalo Normally Live?

Water buffalo are not native animals of the UK! The herd in this clip had escaped from a local rare breed farm. Their scientific name is Bubalus bubalis, but there are two subspecies, which are the river buffalo and the swamp buffalo. They are sometimes called the Asian water buffalo and the domestic buffalo.

This is a heavily domesticated species. The herds we see today probably descend from wild animals that were found from central India to southern Nepal and through to Vietnam and Malaysia in the east. There are probably still wild populations living in parts of India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Thailand.

Domesticated river buffalo are found in Indo-China, the Mediterranean, and parts of South and Central America. Swamp buffalo, however, are found in Indo-China, southeast Asia, and Australia. Most of the time, you will spot them in agricultural communities, but some are found in cities.

How Do Water Buffalo Normally Behave?

These are social animals who, in the wild, form cohesive herds of up to 100 individuals. There is usually a dominance hierarchy within the herd, and an older female is the boss. They can be both diurnal and nocturnal but are very sensitive to heat because they have few sweat glands. This explains why you will often see them wallowing in mud, which helps cool them down. During the hotter parts of the day, they can usually be found resting under dense vegetation or completely submerged in water with only their nostrils and eyes exposed. Their entrance into the swimming pool in this clip was not quite so dignified and probably happened by accident!

Why were Buffaloes Domesticated?

These animals first domesticated around 5000 years ago and they have remained an economically important species. They provide more than 5 percent of the world’s milk supply. Their milk is extremely rich and has more fat and protein in it than cow’s milk. Their hides are also used to make high-quality leather products. In some countries, water buffalo are used as ‘tractors’ pulling farm implements. The added bonus is that their dung can be used as fertilizer!