Interesting story on the front page of the Wall Street Journal today (March 30) about a fellow from Louisiana, A.P. Leonards, who is trying to raise water buffaloes. The water buffalo is common in Asia and elsewhere as a draft animal.

The story is datelined Orange Walk Town. Leonards has a herd of 6,250 water buffalo, of which a good number are in Belize (the story doesn't say how many exactly). He imported 325 to Belize about 15 years ago. Leonards has had various problems in Belize, according to the WSJ, including having to pay for quarantine for his original herd for two years, and at one point some of his buffaloes got loose and ate some sugar cane belonging to Belize Sugar Industries Ltd., which cost him US$50,000. Leonards is advertising to sell all his water buffaloes.

Leonards says he thinks it will take another 50 years to make the water buffalo popular in the Americas. He says he is setting up an upscale drug and alcohol rehab center near Orange Walk Town, hoping to attract athletes who are trying to dry out. He'll feed'em water buffalo meat, or "carabeef," he says.

--Lan Sluder
www.belizefirst.com

Thanks Lan, for posting this, sure caught my eye.

Amazing how things develope, out of need..."much like mother of invention".

The "Water-Ford" clinic?
Just an idea for a good name.
"Buffalo-Betty?"
Clearly I have had too much coffee this morning.
At least I'm cracking myself up...
Chris

upscale drug rehab in Orange walk??? The local crack dealers will love that!!! a captive clientele...

Wrangling water buffalo for entertainment and exercise.

There is a large herd of Buffalo in our area approximately 7 miles away. They are raised specifically for the meat.
They are called 'Beeffalo' and from what I am told, the meat is very good.

I don't know from first hand to mouth experience.
But I would try it if offered

Buffalo near Buffalo - imagine that! how novel

snickle snickle....you're golden

( Don't let that go to your head. )

Sell it instead, it's too heavy to be in your head

working on chapter 13....

They were imported from Jamaica years ago and got stuck in Belize en route to the US due to quarantine and here ever since. Owned by the people who operate the hotel on the New River and Northern Hywy with the large stone walls-name escapes me now cause it's all so weird, religious with madonna statues. More strange than religious. They originally were selling water bufalo hunting-yes, shoot a water bufalo for sport. As much sport as shooting a broke down truck. Then they were trying to do health, now it's drug rehab. Think these people made their $ in prison management in the US, but story is sketchy.

NY Gal,

The American buffalo (bison) isn't the same animal as the water buffalo, which is common in Asia but is also used (like an ox or a dray horse) in parts of Africa and South America and elsewhere.

--Lan Sluder

Thanks Lan.
These beautiful animals here are a sight to behold. I'm glad they just graze and serve a less physical purpose.

They look at me when I stop and take pics and think, what is she doing with all those pictures of us?
Ya have to love them for what purpose they serve
There is a lot of ground in Belize I haven't covered and I was totally unaware of all of those Water Buffalo....that's a lot of animal !!!

Katie,
Met an employee of Leonards some years back on SP, He had been up to his ranch working on something. Understood that Leonards, manages several private prison systems in Louisiana area and has several other unusual businesses. Has a web site about his Belize property under some unusual name. Name of the ranch as I remember but can't recall it now. I understand he has tried to use it for hotel, conference center and possible treatment center and looking for other uses such as boot camp for wayward boys. Possibly nothing has worked until now. Probably a good tax right off for a sucessful businessman. KBG

Rancho Luna, and as the name implies......

Katie,
As I understand from his employee that I met Mr. Leonards is a follower of a French Saint that was martered in the 1700's+/- and are of a somewhat breakaway group from Catholoism. (sp?) That would account for some of the unusual decoration similar to that complex just north of Captain Morgans. Belize has a little of everything. KBG

Those people are Essene, a branch of Christianity. Made their money selling vitamin supplements.

I found the Essene property very interesting. It's worth a visit.

Hi Katy - just for info's sake -
Historically speaking the Essenes are a sect of Judaism, not Christianity. The beginning of the Essene sect can be traced back about 500 years before Jesus. They wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls. They lived aesthetic lives, were communal and followed a strong male leader. They believed a messiah would come. Later on, they believe a messiah did come. This messiah is known by Christians as John the Baptist. The Essenes were deeply into health and "health foods" of the day, much like Jews who kept Kosher then (kosher rules were fantastic survival tools under conditions 2,000 years ago) and today.
the Essene sect believed that by living a devoted (also harsh)and simple life on earth they would inherit endless delights in the aferlife.

I know that the comparative religion lecture above has nothing to do with Buf Steak, so to correct this transgression I'll share that I've eaten "Buff" on several occasions, and have found the filet mignon cut quite tasty. Water buffalo are indeed lovely to watch - they also can be agressive and dangerous. Don't let the cuddly exterior fool you - they are big, strong and like all of us, prone to bad days that can cause injury to others. Rule of thumb - if an animal is bigger than you are, be very careful in it's company.

That is some great info, Diane. Very interesting. Thanks. I guess the only part I do not comprehend is the part about living a harsh life. For some reason, I have difficulty picturing living there in the former Belizean hotel on the ocean front on Ambergris Caye as a harsh life. Maybe I need to check into this religion.

Diane, again you have given us great information, as you always do/have.

Bywarren, I am with you, ready for that harsh life of living ocean front on Ambergris, and I will even eat healthy health food to do so, for real.

Right, I didn't realize I was living such a "harsh" life. Hopefully this will get me a little sympathy from some of you people.

If I make comments that might seem a little harsh to some of you, you need to take into consideration these conditions under which I live. :p

Aw Bywarren, now we know how HARSH it is for you, we will cut you some slack...hey get some rest today on the beach.

Just so we are not totally off the subject, Maruba Resort often serves the water buffalo on their menue . And, I am on my way back to the beach tomorrow. Uncle Sam likes me to come back around this time of year and send him a little correspondence. It is nice to know he misses me and likes to keep in touch.

In Texas it is Beefalo on the menu.

We do digress often, but that keeps the topic alive.

Bywarren glad you are keeping intouch with IRS, they love you.

Not to be nit picky here, but beefalo is a cross between the American bison and a cow in the attempt to add a little more flavor to the meat.
http://www.ababeefalo.org/

I eat the water buffalo at Maruba and eat the bison often when in South Dakota. We are close to indian reservations in South Dakota that raise them for the meat. In my opinion, both are very lean and therefore healthy. Buffalo meat in SD is about half again as much in price and has about half the flavor of a good beef steak, IMHO. The added cost and less flavor is why it has not been extremely successful for those raising it. It is still hard to beat a nice fatty beef steak for flavor.

There are just not enough of you willing to lead the "harsh" life like me, living on the beach and eating healthy. Now for you that have graced me with your presence at one of my BBQ's, we can keep a little secret about the healthy part, right?

PS: for those of you who have met Capt Jeff, he used to weigh 160lbs and did mens underware commercials before he met me and came to my BBQ.

And if anyone is reading this that raises buffalo, I should say that I have eaten declicious buffalo meat - wrapped in bacon and swiming in bearnaise sauce.

Bywarren thanks for the website on beefalo.

Friends of Friend have a herd in the Texas hill country.

Yes, that's what we have nearby us too.

They've been hiding from my camera for a few days. They have a huge grazing area and many hills and trees to hang out.
Babies are darling.

Mister 'Beefalo' is certainly the head of the herd. He will turn his face from the camera. Shy, or maybe he is wanted by the camera police

or maybe he wants to moon ya

AS SO MANY THREADS GO,
The Essene Way, North of Captain Morgans, Is indeed owned by some group claiming to be followers of the Essene way. Somewhat pervetered from the Biblical group I think. This is a thread that has combined two thoughts. Maybe my fault. We were "talking" about Rancho Luna a large jungle ranch in the Orange Walk area owned by one Mr. Leonards. This ranch has a very large population of water buffalo that ended up there by default when unable to move on to the U.S. It appears tha Mr. Leonards is a follower of some type of "cult" based on some several hundred year old "saint". The ranch is surrounded with icons of this cult. We were discussing that this is simmilar to the statuary that surrounds the "Essene Way" compound on SP just north of Captain Mortans Resort. You need to view both to get a picture.

Your right, I almost acted too hastily. "Harsh" sounded good. "Cult", who knows, might even be better. I will await further info.

PS: Do you think this "several hundred year old saint" might consider me as one of his desciples after seeing my picture? It would be nice to go in with a little seniority in case there was anything like virgins involved.

PPS: Now before any of you perverts wake up this morning and jump on this, we are not talking virgin buffalo here!

bywarren
Seeing that the owners of Rancho Luna make their money in private prisoner housing and vet mental treatment you might be very, very, very careful around them. They might "take you in" in more ways than you want. Just something for you to ponder while you laze your day away in SP. KBG :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: