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Water buffalo herd fights relocation

An anesthetized water buffalo is lifted by an excavator on the riverbed of the Tahan River yesterday. Taipei Country authorities have launched a month-long round up of a wild herd that has been living along the riverbank. PHOTO: HUNG MIN-LUNG, TAIPEI TIMES

It was man against buffalo yesterday in Shulin City, Taipei County, as a wild herd of more than 60 water buffalo stampeded back and forth along the riverbed of the Tahan River -- chased by gunmen armed with anesthetic darts.

The buffalo won -- for the most part.

After a seven-hour hunt by more than 20 members of the Taipei County Government's Animal Disease Prevention Center just five of the 60-head herd had been captured, Chinese-language news-papers reported yesterday.

Prevention center chief Tsai Tsung-yi (蔡宗益) was unfazed by his team's limited success, saying the round-up operation will continue for one month, until all the buffalo have been "arrested."

The wild buffalo are the remnants and descendents of a 100-strong herd kept under the Kanyuan Bridge more than a decade ago by Li Pi-e (李碧娥).

After an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease a few years ago, Li moved her buffalo to Neili, Taoyuan County, except for 30 or so buffalo which hid in the bushes and reeds along the riverbed.

The wild herd doubled in number over the years. Newspaper reports said area farms had often fallen prey to the buffalo making nightly forays for food, while the animals created traffic problems as they ambled along nearby roads.

The Animal Disease Prevention Center sent staff members out Wednesday night to try to locate the herd and start the round-up.

Two buffalo were felled with darts around 2:30am yesterday.

But as four anaesthetists approached the herd, the buffalos fled in various directions. After a 5km long chase back and forth along the riverbed, another three buffalo finally fell under the effect of anesthetic darts.

"It's not easy to pinpoint the animals' locations since this place is peppered with swamps, stones and 2m-high bushes," Tsai said.

"The best time to catch them would be late at night when they rest," he said.

As they are caught, the wild buffalo will be reunited with the herd in Neili.
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