SUNDAY 8 APRIL, 2018 – UWI TODAY
13
Buffalo Soldier
Stephen Penlyn
Bennett
(January
2 8 ,
1 9 2 2 –
D e c emb e r 1 8 ,
2011), received
many awards for
his contribution
a s a p i o n e e r
i n v e t e r i n a r y
me d i c i n e a n d
as the man who
deve l oped t he
buffalypso, among
t h e s e a r e t h e
Chaconia Medal,
Gold (1984) from
the Government
of the Republic
of Trinidad and
Tobago, and an Honorary Degree from The UWI (2001).
There is also a Steve Bennett building at the School of
Veterinary Medicine.
He received his diploma in animal husbandry from
Guelph University and returned to Trinidad, where he
soon went to work at what was Tate & Lyle, a British
company primarily involved in the sugar industry. A July
1971 bulletin issued by Caroni Limited and called “Birth
of the Buffalypso,”carried a foreword by GordonMaingot,
the Managing Director, that said:
“Last year, a controlling interest in Caroni Limited
was purchased by the Government of Trinidad &Tobago
from Tate & Lyle with public funds. This in effect means
that the people of Trinidad & Tobago now control the
means of production in one of the nation’s most vital
industries.
“The Company has since adopted a new emblem. It
features the head of a ‘Buffalypso,’ a special type of beef
buffalo that Caroni Limited has been developing over
the past 20 years. This emblem will serve as a reminder
of the new position of Caroni Limited as a full-fledged
corporate citizen of Trinidad & Tobago.
“It is appropriate, therefore that this bulletin should
describe the development of the unique Trinidadian
Buffalypso.”
Although he had been primarily a man of the
horses – and remained one until his death – he became
a key figure in Caroni’s growing cattle interests and was
able to change the way in which herds were housed and
nourished, which was followed by livestock farmers in
the country. His life’s work was centered on developing
the strain of buffalypso that emerged from his breeding
experiments with six of the breeds originally imported
from India. Indianwater buffalo had first come toTrinidad
in 1905 and by 1919 they were put to work on the sugar
plantations, a replacement for the Zebuwhowere dying
in large numbers from tuberculosis. (It was the same
principle on which Indian indentureship was based.)
From the various accounts of the work he did,
and the obstacles he surmounted, it is clear he was an
extraordinary man with an indefatigable spirit and a
strong sense of confidence in his capacity to persuade
even the most cynical.
His personal story and the development of the
buffalypso is a rugged saga, the kind associated with
pioneers, frontiers and immigrants… but it does not
have a happy ending.
ey of the
LYPSO
We added molasses to the bagasse and also used chicken
manure because it is very high in nitrogen and a good
source of protein. The animals were fattening very well on
this ration. The buffalypsoes had terrific digestive systems
and over time improved dramatically. We decided to start
exporting them.
The first lot we shipped overseas was in 1956 to
Columbia. We further expanded the exports to 19 different
countries, including the USA, Cuba, Venezuela, and
countries of South and Central America. The importing
countries have all been very satisfied with the buffalypsoes.
They can work, and their milk is also excellent with a high
butterfat content. In the South American countries, for
example, Venezuela, the importers made queso de mano
and queso blanco. These are white cheeses and very popular
with consumers. It is also well known that all theMozzarella
cheesemade in Italy is fromwater buffalomilk.They are well
diversified and useful animals in agricultural development.
If water buffaloes were indigenous to developed countries,
I do not think that cattle would be as popular as they are
because they [buffalypso] thrive on rough pastures unlike
beef cattle.
For many years water buffaloes were often referred to
as “bison” or “hog cattle.” Their fat is always white and that
is an advantage because in traditional beef cattle breeds,
the only time you get white fat is in cattle that have been
force fed and fed on special rations, otherwise the fat is
usually yellow. When you buy premium cuts of meat, the
fat is usually white, because the animals were fed a better
type of food which results in a higher plane of nutrition.
We have a huge Muslim population in Trinidad. Religious
practices prevent the eating of pigs (hogs) or of touching
hogs. I recommended that we do not associate the name
“hog cattle” with the water buffaloes to avoid confusion.
The next name was the bison, which got confused with the
American bison that runs on the plains of the United States.
I had to get rid of that name also.
I eventually ended up calling our beef-type water
buffaloes – the buffalypso. The logic in the name was that
Trinidad was the birthplace of the calypso.
unt of the process in his book
was in his late eighties.
Chapter 7, which he called,
alo into the Buffalypso.”
en imported to replace the Zebu,
ated by tuberculosis.
Dr Steve Bennett was conferred
with an honorary degree
by The UWI in 2001.
and Holsteins with the buffalypso using grazing criteria and
weight gains, the buffalypso performed better.The beef cattle
were gaining 1.4 pounds of weight per day, while the water
buffaloes were gaining 1.6 pounds.
One reason for the differences is that cattle during
grazing are somewhat selective, whereas the water buffaloes
would eat anything.
In Venezuela, the ranchers used water buffaloes to
follow cattle in pastures. When the cattle were finished
grazing one pasture, they were then transferred to another
pasture and the water buffaloes would be brought in to
consume everything left behind. A point of interest is
that water buffaloes will consume grass that cattle would
not touch, making this behavior a distinct advantage over
cattle, especially in regions of the tropics with limited good
pastures. In addition, I started to feed the water buffaloes
on the residue of sugarcane, called bagasse – it was when
all the juice was squeezed out of it and the pith was all left.
