A Hualien County farmer on Tuesday lost a water buffalo to an attack by hornets in Ruisui Township (瑞穗).
The farmer, surnamed Tien (田), a resident of the Amis Aboriginal Cimei Village (奇美), said he had raised the four-year-old, 500kg buffalo since it was a calf.
He said he had brought his five buffaloes to graze near a local road at about 7am, tying them to trees at 10m intervals. He returned home and then drove past about 10 minutes later on his scooter, only to see one of the buffaloes on the ground.
As Tien approached, he said he saw “a huge swarm” of hornets hovering above and near the animal, so he turned around and returned to the village store to buy two cans of insecticide.
He was so focused on saving the buffalo that he returned to the scene in less than three minutes, and began spraying the insecticide without stopping to put on protective clothing, Tien said.
Another resident, Cheng Chih-kuei (鄭志貴), said he was driving by in his pickup when he saw Tien and stopped to offer help.
“He had a can of insecticide in his hand, and he was spraying at the sky, at himself and at the water buffalo,” Cheng said.
Aided by two more villagers, they tried to drive the swarm away with insecticide, but hornet stings slowly drove them away from the downed buffalo, with Tien being the last to retreat after emptying both spray cans, Cheng said.
The farmers waited at a safe distance for more than 10 minutes for the swarm to dissipate before they were able to reach the buffalo, which they led back to Tien’s residence.
The group tried to wash the buffalo with saltwater, but the animal stood up, walked about 10m and then dropped dead, Cheng said, describing the sight as “heart-wrenching.”
The buffalo had been stung at least 100 times, Tien said.
Cheng said he regularly cut grass in the area, and he could have been attacked by the hornets instead of the buffalo.
“That water buffalo saved lives in the village by dying. Everyone uses that road, but no one had seen the hive,” he said.
Villagers removed the hive later in the day, he said.
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