Buffaloes have been used since centuries by farmers in order to plough their rice fields. Since 1960 mechanical ploughs have replaced the buffaloes. Since a few years buffaloes are regaining favour as farmers look to old ways.
However, there is a concern over a sharp fall in their numbers. The buffalo population has declined from an estimated six million head in 1987 to 1.8 million in 1999. Experts predict the buffalo could be extinct from Thailand within 10 years.
