Editing Carabao

{{Short description|Philippine water buffalo}}
{{About|the bovine|the North American deer species|Caribou|other uses|Carabao (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox water buffalo breed
| name = Carabao
| altname = |altnewcaroabapu
| image = Guiguinto Municipality in Bulacan 08.jpg
| image_caption = A carabao in the Philippines
| maleweight    = |420–|500&nbsp;kg
| femaleweight  = |400–|425&nbsp;kg
| maleheight    = 127–137&nbsp;cm
| femaleheight  = 124–129&nbsp;cm
| coat          = light grey to slate-grey
| use           = draft animal, transport, milk, hide, meat
| country       = [[Philippines]]<ref name=fao/>
| distribution  = [[Philippines]], [[Borneo]], [[Sulawesi]], [[Guam]]
| type          = Swamp
}}

'''Carabaos''' ({{langx|fil|kalabáw}}) are a genetically distinct population of swamp-type [[water buffalo]]es (''[[Water buffalo|Bubalus bubalis kerabau]]'') from the [[Philippines]].<ref name=fao>FAO 2013. [http://dad.fao.org/cgi-bin/EfabisWeb.cgi?sid=c9ac6ed7589fbab08152c34f4063ec74,reportsreport8a_50000318 ''Philippine Carabao/Philippines''] In: Domestic Animal Diversity Information System. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.</ref> They were also further introduced to [[Sulawesi]] and [[Borneo]] of eastern [[Indonesia]] and [[Malaysia]].<ref name="Lau"/><ref name="Villamor"/><ref name="amano"/>

Carabaos are the traditional [[draft animal]]s in the Philippines for [[paddy field]] rice cultivation and are commonly raised by [[Smallholding|smallholder]] farmers. They were also formerly widely used for the transport of goods throughout the islands. They are a source of carabao milk and [[carabeef]], among other products. The carabao is widely considered to be the [[National symbols of the Philippines|national animal]] of the Philippines and symbolizes hard work.<ref name="Villamor"/><ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last=Hsu |first=Chia Chi |date=2022-02-28 |title=The Philippines: Carabao |url=https://southeastasiaglobe.com/the-philippines-carabao/ |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=Southeast Asia Globe |language=en-US}}</ref>

Carabaos were introduced to [[Guam]] from the Philippines in the 17th century. They have also acquired great cultural significance to the [[Chamorro people]] and are considered the unofficial national animal of Guam.<ref name="Minahan">{{Cite book |last=Minahan |first=James B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jfrWCQAAQBAJ&q=guam+symbol+carabao%7D |title=The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems [2 volumes] |date=2009-12-23 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-34497-8 |language=en}}</ref>

The term "carabao" is also sometimes used for the ''[[kerbau]]'' in [[Malaysia]], which is the official animal of the state of [[Negeri Sembilan]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.mpsns.gov.my/mps_v2/BM/psr_identiti.htm |title=..:: Majlis Perbandaran Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, MALAYSIA :: |access-date=2008-03-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313232900/http://www.mpsns.gov.my/mps_v2/BM/psr_identiti.htm |archive-date=March 13, 2008 |language=ms}}</ref> However, water buffaloes from [[Peninsular Malaysia]] and western [[Indonesia]] ([[Java]] and [[Sumatra]]) are not carabaos and descend from different populations that were introduced through a later separate route from [[Mainland Southeast Asia]] rather than through Taiwan.<ref name="Lau">{{cite journal |last1=Lau |first1=C. H. |last2=Drinkwater |first2=R. D. |last3=Yusoff |first3=K. |last4=Tan |first4=S. G. |last5=Hetzel |first5=D. J. S. |last6=Barker |first6=J. S. F. |title=Genetic diversity of Asian water buffalo ( Bubalus bubalis ): mitochondrial DNA D-loop and cytochrome b sequence variation |journal=Animal Genetics |date=August 1998 |volume=29 |issue=4 |pages=253–264 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-2052.1998.00309.x|pmid=9745663 }}</ref>

==Names and etymology==
[[File:2011 Feb, Puerto Princesa to Nasiduan, 10.jpg|thumb|A female carabao ({{lang|es|caraballa}}) with calf]]

The [[English language|English]] term "carabao" is borrowed from the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] word {{lang|es|carabao}}, which is derived from Eastern [[Visayan languages|Visayan]] (likely [[Waray language|Waray]]) {{lang|war|karabàw}}.<ref name="roberts">{{cite book |last=Roberts |first=E. A. |title=A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language with Families of Words based on Indo-European Roots |volume=I (A–G) |publisher=XLibris LLC |date=2014 |page=311 |isbn=9781493191109 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=gYtvAwAAQBAJ&q=carabao+etymology+malay}}</ref><ref name="scott90">{{cite journal|author=William Henry Scott|year=1990|title=Sixteenth-century Visayan Food and Farming|journal=Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society|volume=18|issue=4|pages=291&ndash;311|jstor=29792029}}</ref> The female is called (in Spanish) a {{lang|es|caraballa}}. [[Cognate]]s include [[Cebuano language|Cebuano]] {{lang|ceb|kábaw}}, [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] {{lang|tl|kalabáw}}, [[Kavalan language|Kavalan]] {{lang|ckv|qabaw}}, [[Minangkabau language|Minangkabau]] ''kabau'', [[Malay language|Malay]] ''kerbau'', [[Javanese language|Javanese]] {{lang|jv|kebo}}, and Indonesian [[Dutch language|Dutch]] {{lang|nl|karbouw}}.<ref name=Cockrill1977>{{cite book |editor-last=Cockrill |editor-first=W. R. |series=Animal Production and Health Series |volume=4 |title=The Water Buffalo |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |date=1977 |isbn=978-9251001080 |url=http://www4.zetatalk.com/docs/Animal_Power/The_Water_Buffalo_1977.pdf |access-date=February 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616141330/http://www4.zetatalk.com/docs/Animal_Power/The_Water_Buffalo_1977.pdf |archive-date=June 16, 2013 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> These [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian]] terms appear to be loanwords from the [[Austroasiatic languages]] and likely derive from a secondary pre-colonial introduction of water buffaloes into [[Island Southeast Asia]] via western [[Indonesia]].<ref name="Blust"/><ref name="kabaw">{{cite web |title=Kabaw|url=http://www.binisaya.com/cebuano/kabaw|website=Binisaya – Cebuano Dictionary and Thesaurus|publisher=Bin|access-date=August 10, 2017}}</ref>

However, it is also clear that [[Austronesian peoples|Austronesians]] already had ancient terms for the carabao, reconstructed as [[Proto-Austronesian]] *qaNuaŋ. Cognates include [[Papora language|Papora]] {{lang|ppu|loan}}, [[Thao language|Thao]] {{lang|ssf|qnuwan}}, [[Siraya language|Siraya]] {{lang|fos|luang}}, [[Rukai language|Rukai]] {{lang|dru|nwange}}, [[Ilocano language|Ilocano]] {{lang|ilo|nuang}}, [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] {{lang|tl|anwang}} or {{lang|tl|anowang}}, [[Kankanaey language|Kankanaey]] {{lang|kne|nuang}}, [[Isneg language|Isneg]] {{lang|isd|nuang}}, [[Itawis language|Itawis]] {{lang|itv|nwang}}, [[Bontoc language|Bontoc]] {{lang|bnc|nuwang}}, [[Ifugao language|Ifugao]] {{lang|ifb|nuwang}}, and [[Aklanon language|Aklanon]] {{lang|akl|anwang}}. Cognates survive into [[Sulawesi]], but the terms there apply to the related [[anoa]]. Similarly, [[Hanunoo language|Hanunó'o]] {{lang|hnn|anwang}} also refers to the [[tamaraw]] of [[Mindoro]], rather than the carabao. These terms spread southwards from Taiwan, indicating that domesticated carabaos were carried partially into the Philippines during the [[Austronesian expansion]], but didn't move further south into the rest of [[Island Southeast Asia]] until the second introduction from [[Mainland Southeast Asia]]. The reason for this is unknown.<ref name="Blust">{{cite web |last1=Blust |first1=Robert |last2=Trussel |first2=Stephen |title=*qaNuaŋ |url=https://www.trussel2.com/ACD/acd-s_q.htm#27616 |website=Austronesian Comparative Dictionary |access-date=7 January 2024}}</ref><ref name="scott90"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Zorc |first1=R. David Paul |title=Core Etymological Dictionary of Filipino |date=1982 |publisher=Darwin Community College, PNC-La Salle-Ateneo Consortium, Linguistic Society of the Philippines, Surian ng Wikang Pambansa |volume=fasc. 3|url=https://zorc.net/publications/041=CEDOF%233(1982).pdf}}</ref>

Other native names for carabaos include {{lang|tl|[[wikt:damulag|damulag]]}} in Tagalog, [[Bikol language|Bikol]], and [[Kapampangan language|Kapampangan]]; {{lang|pag|dueg}} in [[Pangasinan language|Pangasinan]]; and {{lang|ivv|pagad}} in [[Ivatan language|Ivatan]].<ref name="Estrada-Villegas">{{cite book |last1=Estrada-Villegas |first1=Valente |title=Carabao Husbandry |date=1952 |publisher=D.P. Perez |location=Manila |page=24}}</ref> The resemblance of the word "carabao"  to ''[[caribou]]'' is coincidental, and they do not share a common etymology — an example of a [[false cognate]].

== History ==
[[File:GLIMPSE OF BATAD.jpg|thumb|A carabao in the [[Banaue Rice Terraces]]]]

The oldest evidence of water buffalo discovered in the Philippines is multiple fragmentary skeletal remains recovered from the upper layers of the [[Neolithic]] Nagsabaran site, part of the [[Lal-lo and Gattaran Shell Middens]] (~2200 BCE to 400 CE) of northern [[Luzon]]. Most of the remains consisted of skull fragments, almost all of which have cut marks indicating they were butchered. The remains are associated with red slipped pottery, [[spindle whorl]]s, stone [[adze]]s, and [[jade]] bracelets; which have strong affinities to similar artifacts from Neolithic [[Austronesian people|Austronesian]] archeological sites in [[Taiwan]]. Based on the [[radiocarbon date]] of the layer in which the oldest fragments were found, water buffalo were already present in the Philippines by at least 500 BCE.<ref name="amano">{{cite journal |last1=Amano |first1=Noel |last2=Piper |first2=Philip J. |last3=Hung |first3=Hsiao-chun |last4=Bellwood |first4=Peter |title=Introduced Domestic Animals in the Neolithic and Metal Age of the Philippines: Evidence From Nagsabaran, Northern Luzon |journal=The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology |date=2013 |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=317–335 |doi=10.1080/15564894.2013.781084|s2cid=131368496 |hdl=1885/22954 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mijares |first1=Armand Salvador B. |title=The early Austronesian migration to Luzon: perspectives from the Peñablanca Cave Sites |journal=Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association Bulletin |date=2006 |volume=26 |pages=72&ndash;78 |citeseerx=10.1.1.403.7868 }}</ref>

Genetic studies have shown that the closest related populations to carabaos are the swamp buffalo populations of [[Taiwan]], which in turn descended from swamp buffaloes from the [[Neolithic]] [[List of Neolithic cultures of China|rice-farming cultures]] of the [[Yangtze Delta]]. This indicates that carabaos were carried along by the [[Austronesian Expansion|Austronesian migrations]] into the Philippines from Taiwan, and then further onward to [[Borneo]] and [[Sulawesi]]. Carabaos are genetically distinct from the swamp buffaloes of [[Peninsular Malaysia]] and western [[Indonesia]] ([[Java]] and [[Sumatra]]), which show closer affinities to swamp buffaloes from [[Mainland Southeast Asia]], indicating that they originated from a different introduction pathway.<ref name="Lau"/><ref name="Villamor">{{cite journal |last1=Villamor |first1=Lilian P. |last2=Nomura |first2=Koh |last3=Amano |first3=Takashi |last4=Takahashi |first4=Yukimizu |title=Genetic Divergence and Phylogenetic Relationship of Philippine Carabao (''Bubalus bubalis'') and Other Swamp Buffalo Populations in Neighboring Countries Revealed by the Mitochondrial DNA D-loop Region |journal=Journal of Agriculture Science Tokyo |date=2021 |volume=66 |issue=3 |pages=65–74}}</ref><ref name="amano"/><ref name="Colli">{{cite journal |last1=Colli |first1=Licia |last2=Milanesi |first2=Marco |last3=Vajana |first3=Elia |last4=Iamartino |first4=Daniela |last5=Bomba |first5=Lorenzo |last6=Puglisi |first6=Francesco |last7=Del Corvo |first7=Marcello |last8=Nicolazzi |first8=Ezequiel L. |last9=Ahmed |first9=Sahar S. E. |last10=Herrera |first10=Jesus R. V. |last11=Cruz |first11=Libertado |last12=Zhang |first12=Shujun |last13=Liang |first13=Aixin |last14=Hua |first14=Guohua |last15=Yang |first15=Liguo |last16=Hao |first16=Xingjie |last17=Zuo |first17=Fuyuan |last18=Lai |first18=Song-Jia |last19=Wang |first19=Shuilian |last20=Liu |first20=Ruyu |last21=Gong |first21=Yundeng |last22=Mokhber |first22=Mahdi |last23=Mao |first23=Yongjiang |last24=Guan |first24=Feng |last25=Vlaic |first25=Augustin |last26=Vlaic |first26=Bogdan |last27=Ramunno |first27=Luigi |last28=Cosenza |first28=Gianfranco |last29=Ahmad |first29=Ali |last30=Soysal |first30=Ihsan |last31=Ünal |first31=Emel Ö. |last32=Ketudat-Cairns |first32=Mariena |last33=Garcia |first33=José F. |last34=Utsunomiya |first34=Yuri T. |last35=Baruselli |first35=Pietro S. |last36=Amaral |first36=Maria E. J. |last37=Parnpai |first37=Rangsun |last38=Drummond |first38=Marcela G. |last39=Galbusera |first39=Peter |last40=Burton |first40=James |last41=Hoal |first41=Eileen |last42=Yusnizar |first42=Yulnawati |last43=Sumantri |first43=Cece |last44=Moioli |first44=Bianca |last45=Valentini |first45=Alessio |last46=Stella |first46=Alessandra |last47=Williams |first47=John L. |last48=Ajmone-Marsan |first48=Paolo |title=New Insights on Water Buffalo Genomic Diversity and Post-Domestication Migration Routes From Medium Density SNP Chip Data |journal=Frontiers in Genetics |date=2 March 2018 |volume=9 |page=53 |doi=10.3389/fgene.2018.00053|doi-access=free |pmid=29552025 |pmc=5841121 |hdl=11449/170726 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

==Description ==
[[File:Carabao at Bohol 2017 e.jpg|alt=Philippine carabao|thumb|A carabao wallowing at a mudhole]]

Carabaos have the low, wide, and heavy build of draft animals. They vary in color from light grey to [[Slate gray|slate grey]]. The horns are sickle-shaped or curve backward toward the neck. Chevrons are common. [[Albinism|Albinoids]] are present in the proportion of about 3% of the buffalo population. Mature male carabaos weigh {{convert|420|-|500|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, and females {{convert|400|-|425|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. Height at [[withers]] of the male ranges from {{convert|127|to|137|cm|in|abbr=on}}, and of the female from {{convert|124|to|129|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Cockrill1977/>

Carabaos prefer to wallow in a mudhole that they make with the horns. Their objective is to acquire a thick coating of mud. They thrive on many [[aquatic plant]]s and in time of flood will graze submerged, raising their heads above the water and carrying quantities of edible plants. They eat [[Reed (plant)|reeds]], the [[Arundo donax|giant reed]], [[bulrush]], [[Cyperaceae|sedges]], the [[Eichhornia crassipes|common water hyacinth]], and [[Juncaceae|rushes]]. Green fodders are used widely for intensive milk production and for fattening. Many fodder crops are conserved as hay, chaffed, or pulped. Trials in the Philippines showed that the carabao, on poor-quality roughage, had a better feed conversion rate than cattle.<ref name= Cockrill1977/>

==Husbandry==
In 1993, the [[Philippine Carabao Center]] (PCC) was established to conserve, propagate, and promote the carabao as a source of draft animal power, meat, milk, and hide to benefit the rural farmers through carabao [[gene]]tic improvement, technology development and dissemination, and establishment of carabao-based enterprises, thus ensuring higher income and better nutrition. The National Water Buffalo Gene Pool in [[Muñoz, Nueva Ecija]], is a facility for continuous selection, testing, and propagation of superior [[breed]]s of [[Dairy farming|dairy]] buffalo.<ref name=PCC2011>Philippine Carabao Center (2011). [http://www.pcc.gov.ph/PCC%20TRANSPARENCY%20SEAL/2.%20ANNUAL%20REPORT/9.%20Annual%20Report/2011/PCC%20Annual%20Report%202011.pdf ''Annual Report'']{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Department of Agriculture.</ref>

===Draft animals===
[[File:Carabao with sled, 1899.jpg|thumb|A carabao sled ({{lang|fil|kangga}}) in the Philippines (c.&nbsp;1899)]]
[[File:Carabao Cart, Albay Province, Philippines LCCN2014690052.jpg|thumb|A carabao cart ({{lang|fil|kareton}}) in the Philippines (c.&nbsp;1910)]]

Carabaos are mainly used as [[draft animal]]s for [[paddy field]] rice cultivation. In 2023, the vast majority of Philippine carabaos (99.3%) are raised for this purpose by [[Smallholding|smallholder]] farmers.<ref name="Villamor"/><ref name="psa"/> Carabaos raised as draft animals are typically docile and can be trained with simple commands. They are treated as a family pet and are regularly taken to bodies of water to bathe when not working.<ref name="Forbes-Lindsay">{{cite book |last1=Forbes-Lindsay |first1=C. H. |title=The Philippines Under Spanish and American Rules |date=1906 |publisher=J. C. Winston Company |page=442}}</ref><ref name="Hannaford">{{cite book |last1=Hannaford |first1=Ebenezer |title=History and Description of Our Philippine Wonderland |date=1899 |publisher=Crowell & Kirkpatrick Company |page=163}}</ref> The advent of modern machinery like [[tractor]]s are slowly displacing carabaos in their role as draft animals.<ref name="bd">{{cite news |title=Milking Profits from the Carabao |url=https://businessdiary.com.ph/427/milking-profits-from-the-carabao/ |access-date=10 February 2024 |work=Business Diary |date=3 May 2019}}</ref><ref name="Roque"/>

The traditional equipment used with the carabao is a [[plow]] or [[Harrow (tool)|harrow]] attached to the animal by a [[yoke]]. In modern times, carabaos are also used to plow fields for crops that grow on dry land, like [[corn]], [[sugarcane]], or [[upland rice]].<ref name="Roque">{{cite news |last1=Roque |first1=Anselmo |title=Appreciating the carabao |url=https://punto.com.ph/appreciating-the-carabao-sun/ |access-date=10 February 2024 |work=Punto! |date=28 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Daro and Yugo |url=https://thephilippinestoday.com/daro-and-yugo/ |website=The Philippines Today |date=September 6, 2020 |access-date=10 February 2024}}</ref> Another older method of preparing fields with the carabao is known as {{lang|fil|payatak}}, which is still practiced by some farmers in [[Northern Samar]]. In {{lang|fil|payatak}}, the soil of the rice paddy is first softened with rainwater or diverted watershed, then the farmer guides a group of carabaos in trampling the planting area until it is soggy enough to receive the rice seedlings. This time-consuming task produces lower yields and lower income when compared with the advancement in irrigated fields.<ref>[http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=83283 Philippine Daily Inquirer, 8-18-2007.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028164754/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=83283 |date=October 28, 2007 }}</ref>

Before modern equipment, carabaos were also formerly used to thresh rice by trampling them while going around a post, separating the grains from the stalks. They were also used to power stone mills used for crushing sugarcane in pre-modern sugar production.<ref name="Roque"/>

Carabaos were also widely used for transporting goods in the past, usually via a '''carabao sled''' ({{lang|fil|'''kangga'''}}) or a two-wheeled cart ({{lang|fil|gareta}} or {{lang|fil|careton}}, also spelled {{lang|fil|kareton}} or {{lang|fil|kariton}}, from Spanish {{lang|es|carretón}}). The {{lang|fil|kangga}} is typically used for rocky or muddy terrain, and has the advantage of being capable of traveling over rice paddy dikes without destroying them. The {{lang|fil|careton}}, on the other hand, is typically reserved for traveling on roads. The {{lang|fil|careton}} come in various designs and can be covered in a roof of woven split bamboo (''[[sawali]]'')  or thatched [[nipa palm]] leaves (''[[Amakan#Pawid|pawid]]'').<ref name="Zabilka">{{cite book |last1=Zabilka |first1=Gladys |title=Customs and Culture of the Philippines |date=1963 |publisher=C. E. Tuttle Company |isbn=9780804801348 |page=37}}</ref><ref name="ctp">{{cite news |title=The Last Calesa Maker: How A Proud Fernandino Kept A Fading Industry Alive |url=https://ctp.rushhoursolutions.net/last-calesa-maker-proud-fernandino-kept-fading-industry-alive/ |access-date=30 March 2024 |work=Capital Town Pampanga |date=28 March 2019}}</ref>

One of the many reasons for the failure of the attempted Japanese pacification of the Philippines during their 1941–1945 occupation was their indifference to the basics of the Philippine economy. The carabaos provided the necessary labor that allowed Philippine farmers to grow rice and other staples. Japanese army patrols would not only confiscate the rice, but would also slaughter the carabaos for meat, thereby preventing the farmers from growing enough rice to feed the large population. Before [[World War II]], an estimated three million carabaos inhabited the Philippines. By the end of the war, an estimated nearly 70% of them had been lost.<ref>Schmidt, L. S. (1982). [https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADB068659.pdf ''American Involvement in the Filipino Resistance on Mindanao During the Japanese Occupation, 1942–1945'']. M.S. Thesis. U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.</ref>

===Dairy products===
{{See also|Water buffalo#Dairy products}}
[[File:Kesong puti.jpg|thumb|''[[Kesong puti]]'', a traditional Filipino soft cheese made from carabao milk]]
[[File:Pastillas made from carabao's milk.jpg|thumb|''[[Pastillas de leche]]'', a traditional milk candy made from carabao milk]]

Carabao milk is richer and creamier in texture than [[cow milk|cow]] or [[goat milk]], due to its much higher fat and protein content. It has similar mineral content as [[cow milk]], except it has twice as much [[phosphorus]]. It is characteristically bluish-white in color. Carabao milk is typically home-[[pasteurized]] via a [[double boiler]].<ref name="Fernandez"/>

Carabao milk is used widely in traditional [[Filipino cuisine]] due to its easier availability prior to modern importation and the development of canned milk. However, it never became widely commercialized and still remains a [[cottage industry]].<ref name="Fernandez"/> One of the main goals of the Philippine Carabao Center is the development of a more productive breed of carabaos for commercial dairy production and to encourage the growth of the carabao milk industry in the private sector.<ref>{{cite news |title=Enterprise Development |url=https://www.pcc.gov.ph/enterprise-development/ |access-date=11 February 2024 |work=Philippine Carabao Center |agency=Department of Agriculture, Republic of the Philippines}}</ref>

The most common use of carabao milk is for the production of ''[[kesong puti]]'', a traditional soft cheese. It is also used for sweets including ''[[pastillas de leche]]'', ''[[tibok-tibok]]'', [[leche flan]], and a traditional ice cream flavor for [[sorbetes]] known as ''helado de mantecado''. Carabao milk can also eaten for breakfast or ''[[merienda]]'' poured over rice with various other ingredients.<ref name="Fernandez"/>

===Meat===
{{See also|Buffalo meat}}

The term "carabeef" is used to refer to the meat of carabaos in the Philippines. It is a [[portmanteau]] of "carabao" and "beef" and was originally coined in [[Philippine English]] in the 1970s to distinguish the meat of water buffalos from beef.<ref name="Doctor">{{cite news |last1=Doctor |first1=Vikram |title=Ban on cow slaughter in Maharashtra: Why Indian consumers should insist on buffalo milk & carabeef |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/ban-on-cow-slaughter-in-maharashtra-why-indian-consumers-should-insist-on-buffalo-milk-carabeef/articleshow/46487532.cms?from=mdr |access-date=11 February 2024 |work=The Economic Times |date=8 March 2015}}</ref><ref name="Joanino">{{cite journal |last1=Joanino |first1=Charlene |title=Carabeef takes limelight in Buglasan 2019's Organic Farm Family Congress and Agri-Fair |journal=Bubalus |date=4 November 2019 |volume=2 |page=9 |url=https://www.pcc.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Bubalus-Newsletter-4th-qtr-final-12.27.19.pdf}}</ref>

The butchering of carabaos is strictly regulated under Philippine law in an effort to conserve the population. Only carabaos that are seven years or older (if male) or eleven years or older (if female) can be slaughtered after the acquisition of necessary permits and clearances. In all other instances, the killing of carabaos is illegal. However, this law is often violated due to poor enforcement.<ref name="Fernandez">{{cite book |last1=Fernandez |first1=Doreen G. |editor1-last=Walker |editor1-first=Harlan |title=Milk: Beyond the Dairy |date=2000 |publisher=Oxford Symposium |series=Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 1999 |isbn=9781903018064 |pages=126–136 |chapter=Carabao Milk in Philippine Life}}</ref><ref name="Cardiñoza"/><ref name="Ganancial">{{cite news |last1=Ganancial |first1=Rachel |title=ProVet says no law prohibiting use of carabao meat in corned beef |url=https://palawan-news.com/provet-says-no-law-prohibiting-use-of-carabao-meat-in-corned-beef/ |access-date=11 February 2024 |work=Palawan News |date=21 July 2022}}</ref>

Carabeef is popular in some regions and can be used in dishes in place of beef, like in ''[[Tapa (Filipino cuisine)|tapa]]'', as well as in commercial processed meat like [[corned beef]] and ''[[longganisa]]''.<ref name="Fernandez"/><ref name="Cardiñoza">{{cite news |last1=Cardiñoza |first1=Gabriel |title=Pangasinan's carabeef business flourishes |url=https://business.inquirer.net/209000/pangasinans-carabeef-business-flourishes |access-date=10 February 2024 |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=11 February 2024}}</ref><ref name="ss">{{cite news |title=The prospects of carabao industry |url=https://www.sunstar.com.ph/more-articles/the-prospects-of-carabao-industry |work=SunStar |date=20 October 2013}}</ref> Carabao skin can also be cooked as ''[[chicharon]]''.<ref name="ss"/>

===Other products===
Carabao [[Hide (skin)|hide]] was once used extensively to create a variety of products, including the armor of precolonial Philippine warriors. The horns are also carved and used to make the [[hilt|pommel]]s of Philippine swords and bladed tools like [[bolo knife|bolos]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QOI_AAAAYAAJ&q=Carabao+hide+armor&pg=RA1-PA107|title=Bulletin – United States National Museum|date=1917|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press|pages=107|language=en}}</ref> Carabao hide is still used for [[leather]] production with an estimated total market value of $10 million, as of 2002.<ref name="Roque"/>
<!--
<gallery widths="200" heights="160">
File:Various Philippine animals and plants frame 1, detail from Carta Hydrographica y Chorographica de las Yslas Filipinas.jpg|An illustration from the ''[[Carta Hydrographica y Chorographica de las Yslas Filipinas]]'' (1734) shows carabaos as beasts of burden
File:Carabao Cart.jpg|Carabao cart in the [[Philippines]] (c. 1899)
File:Skinscompared.JPG|The hardened hide of a carabao (left) and a cow (right), displayed in the Crisologo Museum, in [[Vigan]], [[Ilocos Sur]], Philippines
File:Ploegen met behulp van een karbouw op de Filippijnen, KITLV D7306.tiff|Ploughing using a carabao in the Philippines, circa pre-1935
</gallery>
-->

===Cross-breeding===
The carabao has been crossbred with other water buffalo breeds. Notable breeds with carabao ancestry include the [[buffalypso]] of [[Trinidad and Tobago]] and the [[Brazilian carabao]] of [[Brazil]]. The buffalypso is the result of breeding programs that crossed the carabao with river-type buffaloes like the [[Murrah buffalo]], the [[Surti buffalo]], the [[Jaffarabadi buffalo]], the [[Nili-Ravi]], and the [[Bhadawari]].<ref name="Borghese">{{cite book |last1=Borghese |first1=Antonio |last2=Chiariotti |first2=Antonella |last3=Barile |first3=Vittoria Lucia |chapter=Buffalo in the World: Situation and Perspectives |title=Biotechnological Applications in Buffalo Research |date=2022 |pages=3–31 |doi=10.1007/978-981-16-7531-7_1|isbn=978-981-16-7530-0 }}</ref><ref name="Colli"/> Brazilian carabaos (called {{lang|pt|kalabaw}} or {{lang|pt|kalaban}} in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]) are naturalized populations of swamp-type buffalos, including carabaos, imported from [[French Indochina]] to Brazil in the late 19th century.<ref name="Porter">{{cite book |last1=Porter |first1=Valerie |last2=Alderson |first2=Lawrence |last3=Hall |first3=Stephen J.G. |last4=Sponenberg |first4=D. Phillip |title=Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding |date=2016 |isbn=978-1-84593-466-8 |pages=962–963}}</ref>

==Conservation==
As of 2023, there are an estimated 2.74 million heads of carabaos in the Philippines. 99.3% are from smallhold farms, while the remaining 0.5% and 0.2% are from semi-commercial and commercial farms, respectively. The highest population of carabaos is from the [[Bicol Region]], with an estimated 324,220 heads, followed by the [[Western Visayas]] (251,570), [[Central Luzon]] (250,640), [[Central Visayas]] (218,290), and the [[Cagayan Valley]] (208,710).<ref name="psa">{{cite web |title=Carabao Situation Report, July-September 2023 |url=https://psa.gov.ph/livestock-poultry-iprs/carabao/inventory |website=Philippine Statistics Authority |publisher=Republic of the Philippines |access-date=11 February 2024}}</ref>

Carabaos are increasingly being replaced by modern machinery, leading to more and more carabaos being slaughtered for meat as they lose their agricultural importance. They've also gone through population decimations in the past from diseases as well as carabao massacres in [[World War II]].<ref name="Roque2">{{cite journal |last1=Roque |first1=Anselmo S. |last2=Irang |first2=Ma. Cecilia C. |last3=Marcelo |first3=Chrissalyn L. |title=Native carabaos are forever |journal=PCC Newsletter |date=2015 |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=12–15, 34 |url=https://www.pcc.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/newsletter-vol-14-no2.pdf}}</ref><ref name="Villamor2">{{cite news |last1=Villamor |first1=Lilian P. |title=CPG native carabao conservation: Current status and way forward |url=https://www.pcc.gov.ph/cpg-native-carabao-conservation-current-status-and-way-forward/ |access-date=11 February 2024 |work=Philippine Carabao Center |agency=Department of Agriculture, Republic of the Philippines |date=26 December 2019}}</ref>

Water buffalos have also been imported from abroad by the Philippine Carabao Center and crossbred with the carabao in an effort to develop a more productive breed for milk production. In 2015, an estimated 10,000 heads of the commercial herds of water buffalo in the Philippines are imported riverine-type breeds, most notably the [[Murrah buffalo]] (sourced from [[Brazil]], [[Bulgaria]], and [[Italy]]). Another 29,700 heads are crossbreeds of the carabao and imported river buffaloes.<ref name="Roque2"/>

Despite this, the PCC ensures that the native carabao gene pool is preserved by the [[cryopreservation]] of carabao [[germplasm]]. A cryobank facility for this purpose was inaugurated in 2012 in the Livestock Innovations and Biotechnology complex of the PCC national headquarters in [[Muñoz, Nueva Ecija]]. The cryobank also holds samples of other native breeds of domestic animals, as well as plans for the preservation of the germplasm of other threatened endemic species.<ref name="Roque2"/>

Various organizations have also created sanctuaries for native carabaos where slaughtering animals is restricted and the introduction of foreign breeds are banned. This includes the communal grazing grounds of [[Mahatao]] in the [[Batanes Islands]]; the national conservation site of carabaos in [[Peñablanca]] in [[Cagayan]]; and the municipality of [[President Carlos P. Garcia, Bohol|President Carlos P. Garcia]] in [[Lapinig Island]], [[Bohol]].<ref name="Roque2"/><ref name="Villamor2"/>

==In culture==
===Festivals===
[[File:0394ajfKneeling Carabaos Festival Pulilan Fiestafvf 16.jpg|thumb|A painted carabao in the Kneeling Carabao Festival of [[Pulilan, Bulacan]]]]

The carabao is featured in numerous festivals ({{lang|fil|fiestas}}) in the Philippines due to its important role in rural farming communities. The festivals which feature carabaos prominently include:<ref name="Irang">{{cite journal |last1=Irang |first1=Ma. Cecilia C. |title=How the carabao is honored in different PH festivities |journal=PCC Newsletter |date=2015 |volume=14 |issue=2 |page=33 |url=https://www.pcc.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/newsletter-vol-14-no2.pdf}}</ref>

* Pasungay Festival ([[San Joaquin, Iloilo]]) - A religious festival honoring [[Sto. Niño]] held every 3rd Saturday of January. The highlight of the festival is a traditional fight between two bull carabaos.
* Kariton Festival ([[Licab, Nueva Ecija]]) - A cultural festival held every last Saturday of March. It celebrates the carabao-drawn cart ({{lang|tl|kariton}}) used by the town's founding father.
* Kesong Puti Festival ([[Sta. Cruz, Laguna]]) - A cultural festival held from April 1 to 9 celebrating the traditional [[kesong puti]] industry.
* Karbo Festival ([[Vigan, Ilocos Sur]]) - A cultural festival held on the first week of May. It features a parade of painted carabaos. The name of the festival is derived from the local term for carabao.
* Carabao-Carroza Festival ([[Pavia, Iloilo]]) - A cultural festival held on May 3. It is the oldest festival of its kind and features a parade of colorful decorated carabao sleds.
* Gatas ng Kalabaw Festival ([[Nueva Ecija]]) - A provincial festival held on the second week of May aiming to promote carabao milk.
* Pastillas Festival ([[San Miguel, Bulacan]]) - A cultural festival held from May 5 to 7. It is a celebration of the town's traditional and iconic ''[[pastillas de leche]]'' industry which is made from carabao milk.
* Kneeling Carabao Festival ([[Pulilan, Bulacan]]) - A religious festival held on May 14. The highlight of the event is the kneeling of carabaos as they pass in front of the town church.
* [[Pahiyas Festival]] ([[Lucban, Quezon]]) - A century-old cultural festival held every May 15. The highlight of the festival is a parade of colorful decorated carabao carts.
* San Isidro Labrador Festival ([[Angono, Rizal]]) - A religious festival held on May 15 honoring the town's patron saint, St. [[Isidore the Laborer]]. The highlight of the festival is a procession of carabaos with decorated carts full of farm products.
* Katigbawan Festival ([[Catigbian, Bohol]]) - A cultural festival held on June 16. It celebrates the carabao and its contributions to farmers.
* Queseo Festival ([[Compostela, Cebu]]) - A cultural festival held from June 24 to 25. The festival celebrates a local traditional cheese, the ''[[queseo]]'', made from carabao milk.
* Nuang Festival ([[San Agustin, Isabela]]) - A cultural festival held on September 28. It celebrates the founding anniversary of the town and features a parade of carabaos.
* [[Karabaw Festival]] ([[Gandara, Samar]]) - A cultural festival held on September 29. It celebrates the carabao and features street dancers depicting carabaos.
* Turogpo Festival ([[Carigara, Leyte]]) - A cultural festival held during [[Holy Saturday]]. The word {{lang|war|turogpo}} means "match" and it features a fight between two carabao bulls until one of them runs away from their opponent.

===Symbolism===
[[File:Nueva Ecija -Carabao Racing.jpg|thumb|Carabao racing at the [[Patronal festival|fiesta]] of [[Aliaga, Nueva Ecija]]]]
Despite the carabao being widely regarded as the [[national animal]] of the [[Philippines]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Aquino |first1=Dante M. |last2=Persoon |first2=Gerald A. |year=2013 |chapter=Tradition and Change: Beer Consumption in Northeast Luzon, Philippines |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TXNFAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA197 |editor1-last=Schiefenhovel |editor1-first=Wulf |editor2-last=Macbeth |editor2-first=Helen |title=Liquid Bread: Beer and Brewing in Cross-Cultural Perspective  |series=Volume 7 of Anthropology of Food & Nutrition |publisher=Berghahn Books |isbn=9781782380344 |page=197 }}</ref> the [[National Commission for Culture and the Arts]] of the Philippines has stated that this still has not been officially recognized by law.<ref>{{cite web | last=Pangilinan | first=Leon Jr. | title=In Focus: 9 Facts You May Not Know About Philippine National Symbols | url=http://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/in-focus/9-facts-you-may-not-know-about-philippine-national-symbols/ | date=3 October 2014 | access-date=8 January 2019 | publisher=[[National Commission for Culture and the Arts]] | archive-date=November 26, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161126154959/http://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/in-focus/9-facts-you-may-not-know-about-philippine-national-symbols/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> House Bill 3926, Philippine National Symbols Act of 2014, was proposed in [[Philippine Congress]] with the aim of officially declaring the country's national symbols, including the carabao as the national animal. It is currently still pending.<ref name="Panti">{{cite news |last1=Panti |first1=Llanesca T. |title=Bill expands official national symbols list |url=https://www.manilatimes.net/2014/03/01/inside-news/top-stories/bill-expands-official-national-symbols-list/79225 |access-date=11 February 2024 |work=The Manila Times |date=1 March 2014}}</ref><ref name="Bacani">{{cite news |last1=Bacani |first1=Louis |title=House bill officially declares adobo as national food |url=https://www.philstar.com/news-commentary/2014/02/28/1295540/house-bill-officially-declares-adobo-national-food |access-date=11 February 2024 |work=PhilStar Global |date=28 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bill seeks to make adobo, jeepney, carabao as PH national symbols |url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/581281/bill-seeks-to-make-adobo-jeepney-carabao-as-ph-national-symbols |access-date=11 February 2024 |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=28 February 2014}}</ref>

In the late 1980s, the carabao puppet character Kardong Kalabaw became popular as a symbol of the Philippine people's hard work and sense of industry.<ref>{{Citation  |url=http://www.filipinojournal.com/v2/index.php?pagetype=read&article_num=10242007004700&latest_issue=V21-N20  |title=May Natutunan Ka Ba kay Kiko Matsing?  |publisher=The Filipino Journal  |author=Alfie Vera Mella  |access-date=2007-12-18  |url-status=dead  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211181431/http://www.filipinojournal.com/v2/index.php?pagetype=read&article_num=10242007004700&latest_issue=V21-N20  |archive-date=February 11, 2009  }}</ref>

The [[Military Order of the Carabao]], a social club started in 1900 by American enlisted men fighting in the Philippine-American War, believes that the water buffalo symbolizes the "camaraderie that grows among members of the armed forces who face the dangers and privations of extensive military service far from home."<ref name="auto"/>

=== Carabao racing ===
Carabao racing is a widely popular sport among farmers and carabao enthusiasts in the Philippines. In central and southern [[Luzon]] and in [[South Cotabato]] some fiestas have carabao racing as their highlight. Training and conditioning of the race carabao to its full extent is a serious job. Farmers and their trustworthy carabaos gather together to race in a {{convert|500|m}} dirt road. Spectators fill up this unique spectacle, some betting on their best carabaos, others watch for the thrill. The carabaos, geared with their carts on their back, race together with their farmer to win prizes. The race is divided into two classes, one for amateur or first-time carabao racers and the other is for the veteran carabao racers. A race carabao can be bought for ₱35,000 to ₱60,000, with the price increasing with the number of races that it wins. Proven race winners can command a price as high as ₱200,000.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

== In Guam ==
[[File:Carabao plow, page 25, Island of Guam (1917) (cropped).jpg|thumb|A carabao plowing a field in [[Guam]] (c.&nbsp;1917)]]
Carabaos were introduced to [[Guam]] by Spanish missionaries in the 17th century from domestic stock in the Philippines to be used as [[Pack animal|beasts of burden]]. A [[feral]] herd on the [[Ordnance Annex|US Naval Magazine]] in central Guam was classified as protected game, but the population has been declining since 1982, most likely due to [[Poaching|illegal hunting]].<ref>Conry, P. J. (1988). [http://www.tws-west.org/transactions/Conry.pdf "Management of feral and exotic game species on Guam"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304094021/http://www.tws-west.org/transactions/Conry.pdf |date=March 4, 2016 }}. ''Transactions of the Western Section of the Wildlife Society'' 24: 26–30.</ref>

Carabaos were used for farming and for pulling carts. They were fairly common on Guam before the 20th century, with a population numbering in the thousands. Today, they are rare in most parts of the island except in the US Naval Magazine near the village of [[Santa Rita, Guam|Santa Rita]], which is fenced on all sides. The carabao population of Naval Magazine has grown to several hundred, to the point that they have become a pest and caused environmental damage, and polluted the water supply in the [[Fena Lake|Fena Reservoir]]. In 2003, the Navy began a program of extermination to control the carabao population of Naval Magazine, a move that was protested by many [[Chamorro people]].{{citation needed|date=February 2013}}

The carabao is considered a symbol of Guam.  In the early 1960s, carabao races were a popular sport in the island, especially during fiestas. Today, carabaos are a part of the popular culture. They are often brought to carnivals or other festivities, and are used as a popular ride for children. Carabao meat is sometimes eaten as a delicacy.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Cunningham|first1=Lawrence J.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H1O1Lq_qUcAC&q=carabao+meat+guam&pg=PA77|title=Guam: A Natural History|last2=Beaty|first2=Janice J.|date=2001|publisher=Bess Press|isbn=978-1-57306-067-7|language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of water buffalo breeds]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category inline}}
* {{Wikispecies inline|Bubalus bubalis}}

{{Symbols of the Philippines}}
{{Water buffalo breeds}}

[[Category:Bovines]]
[[Category:Mammals of the Philippines]]
[[Category:National symbols of the Philippines]]
[[Category:Water buffalo breeds]]
[[Category:Austronesian agriculture]]