Once on Hawaii’s list of ‘restricted animals,’ Arkansas water buffaloes make Kauai farm their new home

Kauai farmer Don Heacock has four new additions taking up residence on his 25-acre farm — water buffaloes from Arkansas that he considers a dream come true.

The female water buffaloes are currently resting in a fenced-in paddock in Lihue, munching on guinea grass and enjoying life in Hawaii’s tropical environment, according to Heacock, who sees them as a key part of sustainable farming.

As was once more commonplace in Hawaii, he plans to use the buffaloes to plow his taro fields, pull a wagon to the farmer’s market, and eventually to produce high-quality milk and cheese. The side benefit is that they can also help control invasive weeds, given that they enjoy munching on many of them.

He’s already named the four Ku‘uipo, Lani, Pua and Lamalani.

“Water buffaloes are the symbols of sustainable agriculture,” said Heacock. “They live twice as long as dairy cattle, have twice as many calves, and their milk has twice the protein content of cow’s milk with 30% higher butterfat content than cow’s milk.”

The four — all pregnant and weighing about 1,500 pounds each — were transported from Arkansas in late May. But getting the water buffaloes imported to Hawaii took some work and persuasion.

Heacock, 69, of Kauai Organic AgroecoSystems, petitioned the state Board of Agriculture to amend its rules and to classify the water buffaloes, or Bubalus bubalis, as domestic rather than wild so they could be imported for agricultural use.

Heacock argued that the mammals have been domesticated in India for thousands of years, and also have been established in Nepal, Sweden and Italy.

The board’s unanimous 9-to-0 decision in February to approve the change was followed by a 30-day comment period, a subsequent vote in April to allow the commercial importation of the water buffaloes, and Gov. David Ige’s signature in May.

The buffaloes were on the state’s restricted animals list, along with camels, hippos, and spotted hyenas. Restricted animals can be brought into the state for research and exhibition at municipal zoos, but not for agriculture.

Water buffaloes are often confused with the more commonly depicted African Cape buffalo, Heacock said.

And they should also not be confused with American bison, a North American species commonly known as the American buffalo — which had to be rounded up after getting loose from a ranch in Hanalei during the April storm on Kauai last year.

According to Heacock, water buffaloes historically played a role in Hawaii agriculture. Hundreds of the buffaloes existed in Hawaii from about 1890 to the 1940s, and were initially brought from China to work on rice fields, he said in his petition.

There are records of water buffaloes in Kameha­meha Schools archives and other literature, helping to plow rice and taro fields on various islands during that time.

Heacock said they have been described by other farmers as sociable, intelligent, and easy to train, and belong in the same category as other domestic farm animals, including cattle, sheep and goats.

He can vouch for this now that his buffaloes have arrived.

“They’re sweet as can be,” he said. “They’re just the gentlest. They come up to me every time I walk in their pasture.”

They enjoy being scratched behind their ears, he said, and are beginning to respond when called by name. They will not be working in the fields until after they have had their calves, which are due in October.

Heacock has a larger goal than simply integrating the buffaloes into his own farm, where he grows taro, avocado, rambutan, breadfruit, papaya, coconuts, bananas, bamboo, cacao, yerba mate, kava and blue tilapia via aquaculture.

He envisions starting a Dairy Water Buffalo Cooperative statewide, with the goal of boosting food security with locally produced milk, yogurt, mozzarella and kefir. He hopes to eventually build a herd, and to be able to supply other Hawaii farmers with domestic water buffaloes.

Also, the water buffaloes, which he called “the most multi-functional farm animal on earth,” could potentially help revive taro farms in Hawaii. The buffaloes can help farmers work in geographically isolated areas — such as Kalaupapa on Molokai or Laupahoehoe Nui on Hawaii island — where tractors cannot be used.

Given that they have been domesticated over thousands of years in tropical countries, Heacock said the water buffaloes are noted for their endurance and ability to withstand storms. They can live from 25 to 30 years.

“This is the perfect habitat for water buffalo,” said Heacock.