Once considered humble work animals, water buffaloes are now celebrated as cultural treasures in Thailand. Their transformation from draft animals to pageant stars was on full display at the annual water buffalo racing festival in Chonburi, a city about an hour’s drive from Bangkok.

Among the stars was 5-year-old Tod, a glossy black buffalo with striking red ears, competing in his first beauty pageant. His owner, Thawatchai Daeng-Ngam, a local food vendor and farmer, proudly watched as Tod stood alongside other carefully groomed buffaloes, all vying for top honours.

The festival, held at the end of the 11th lunar month to mark the start of the harvest season, highlights the important role water buffaloes once played in Thai agriculture.

Traditionally used for ploughing fields and carryi

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