Looking for good buffalos

Finding a good buffalo is difficult, but taming and training it to become a good fighter is even more difficult.

Bui Van Ben, a winner in the 2008 buffalo fight in Hai Luu commune, Lap Thach District, Vinh Phuc Province says he has been seeking for a good buffalo for the event this year.

“My village, Go Rung, won the championship last year. I’ll try to retain the title this year!” Ben says. According to Ben, a main supply of good buffalo comes from Luc Yen District in Yen Bai Province and also from Minh Tien and Tan Phuong communes in northern Lao Cai Province. They have a good appearance, eat well and are resistant to diseases.

Ben says there are several buffalo markets drawing the participation of hundreds of professional traders inside and outside the districts.

He recalled his recent visit to Lam Thuong Commune, Luc Yen District where he spotted a buffalo raised by Mr Phin. “I was fascinated by the buffalo the moment I laid eyes on it but the owner didn’t want to sell it to me. He has been raising the buffalo more than ten years”, says Ben.

But Ben was not about to give up his dream of owning such a fine beast so easily. He stayed in the commune for almost two weeks to persuade Phin to sell him the buffalo. Finally, Ben got what he wanted.Thien, a well known buffalo trader in the northern province of Son La says Song Ma and Sop Cop districts are good buffalo raising grounds. He says the vast forest and good grazing ground are idea places for fighting buffalos. Last year he was successful in mediating the purchase of an exceptional buffalo for a man from Do Son (Hai Phong port city), who said the buffalo was very ferocious and that it took two days to transport him to Song Ma. The animal cost him VND20 million.

Training fighting buffalos is a tedious job

Finding a good buffalo is difficult, but taming and training it to become a good fighter is even more difficult. Most of the buffalos come from the wild so taming them is a tough job. That’s where their new owners come into play.An elderly resident named Hoa from Hai Luu commune says the first step for the owner is to establish a friendship with the animal.

“They are just like people. They know who is good or bad to them”, says Hoa.

To prepare for the buffalo fight in Hai Luu this year, Hoa was hired to train fighting buffalos for the commune.

Raising fighting buffalos is a tedious job just like raising children. The animals require a clean and healthy environment as well as good, nutritious food. Every day he has to feed them with maize soup and elephant grass.

That’s not all he has to talk with them, pet them and pay for their health checks by veterinarians.

Hoa says the training only starts when a close relationship between the trainer and the buffalo has been established. AN when the beast is big enough.

“A fighting buffalo must weights over 5,000 kg” Hoa says.

A very strict rule applied to all fighting buffalos – they must be free from libido. Buffalo found in violation of this rule are barred from entering the competition and heavy fines are imposed on their owners. Mr Ben, one of experienced trainers, have four fighting skills, namely making swift attacks, looking his rival in the eyes; skillfully evading attacks from his opponent, and finally knocking down his opponent by his horns.

He says buffalo rarely has all the four skills. But each animal has its own fighting strategy and it is the trainer’s task to enhance their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. It’s also vital to train the buffalo within a noisy atmosphere in an actual event.

A good trainer should know how to get help from locals in creating a mock atmosphere for the buffalo to get used to the climate of the fighting battle.

Before the annual fighting buffalo festival takes place in Hai Luu Commune on the 17^th of the first lunar month, a pre-check of all buffalos is organized four months beforehand.

On the festival day, all the buffalos gather at Ma Dam lock-hill (present day arena). The 20,000-seat arena has two main gates – the east and the west. The east gate is for defeated buffalo to retreat to a pond.

A lottery is applied to choose buffalos to go against each other and the rule of the game is a direct elimination until the last remaining pair.

After the fight all fighting buffalos, both the winner and the losers, are slaughtered in a ritual offering to the Heaven. The owners keep their animals’ horns as souvenirs.