Thailand’s star buffalo meets Srettha to push for ‘soft power’ status
Ko Muang Phet, 180-centimetre tall and weighing an impressive 1.5 tonnes, made a grand appearance at Government House on Wednesday morning despite the torrential rain.
The nearly five-year-old rare albino buffalo stud was taken to Government House to meet Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to help push for the promotion of Thai buffaloes as a symbol of soft power.
Srettha, who is 192cm tall himself, went nose-to-nose with the magnificent animal, exclaiming “I had no idea that there was ever such a beautiful buffalo before!”
Jittanat Limthongkul, owner of the Wanasuwan Farm, told the premier that there was growing interest in raising the beautiful Thai buffalo breed, and this was the perfect time to promote the species as the country’s soft power.
Chiang Rai-based Jittanat had bought the colossal beast earlier this month for a whopping 18 million baht.
The proud owner had taken Ko Muang Phet for a walk down Phra Athit Road on Tuesday, where the animal caught the attention of many tourists, who stopped to take photographs with him.
Jittanat also expressed plans to bring Ko Muang Phet and other giant and dwarf buffaloes to Khao San Road for Songkran celebrations on April 13 and 14.
Expressing support for the initiative, Srettha said: “It’s good, but safety should be considered.”
To this Jittanat said, “Ko Muang Phet is not aggressive and loves water”, adding that he will only bring the best buffaloes to Bangkok.
When asked about the buffalo’s characteristics and age, Jittanat said Ko Muang Phet was not yet fully grown and could potentially reach 1.8 tonnes by the time he turned seven. Buffaloes generally live for 30 to 40 years.
Jittanat also urged Srettha to consider launching a campaign like the Japanese government has with carp, which can cost tens of millions of baht per fish. He also urged the government to promote the Thai buffalo breed in China, Vietnam and Laos to attract foreign interest and sales.
At the end of the meeting, Srettha instructed government spokesman Chai Wacharonke to coordinate with the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry to include Thai buffaloes in a roadshow to China in May.
