water buffalo

These are my favourite animals in Cambodia. These two along with many friends decided to cross the(very busy) road between Phnom Penh and Battambong. This happens often and I'm amazed that there aren't more accidents. Despite their size they are graceful and dignified. They have a strange way of sticking their noses in the air which makes them look a bit snooty b ut in fact it's so that when they wallow in the mud they can almost submerge themselves and just their nostrils stick out to enable them to breathe.They are used a sbeasts of burden and pull heavy loads particularly in the wet rice fields. I'm told they are very docile unlike the oxen that we also see Apparently they are never eaten.