Water buffalo are farmed extensively across Asia for milk, meat, and draft work, with welfare needs that differ importantly from domestic cattle and require species-specific management approaches.
Water buffalo have welfare needs that are sometimes overlooked because their management is often traditional and lower-tech than intensive cattle systems. The requirement for wallowing is a genuine biological need for thermoregulation in hot climates, not merely a preference. Buffalo deprived of water access in hot weather experience heat stress with physiological and behavioral consequences. Draft buffalo used for agricultural work face welfare risks from overloading, poor harness fit, and inadequate rest. The transition away from draft use in mechanizing agricultural regions creates uncertainty about the future of buffalo populations and the welfare standards they will be managed under as their economic role changes.