20-3-2024 (BANGKOK) Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin welcomed an extraordinary guest to his office on March 20. It was none other than an enormous white buffalo that recently fetched a staggering price of US$500,000 (S$671,000).
The massive bovine, named Ko Muang Phet, had already gained fame in Thai farming circles as a prized stud animal. However, its recent high-profile sale propelled it into the spotlight and earned the privilege of a visit to Government House, where it met with Prime Minister Srettha.
Standing tall at 1.8 meters and weighing a remarkable 1.4 tonnes, this four-year-old albino buffalo from Phetchaburi province in western Thailand is nearly three times the weight of an average buffalo.
Ko Muang Phet has already made a name for itself in the entertainment industry, having appeared in an episode of the immensely popular soap opera “Sound From The Field Of Love.”
Prime Minister Srettha, who himself stands at an impressive height of 1.92 meters, had a face-to-face encounter with this horned celebrity in front of Government House. Expressing his surprise at the buffalo’s beauty, he gingerly patted one of its enormous curved horns while addressing the gathered reporters.
“I had no idea we had such magnificent buffalo,” said Prime Minister Srettha. “Are there more like this?”
Water buffaloes are a common sight in the Thai countryside, valued for their strength and reliability as farm animals. Albino specimens hold even greater worth due to their rarity.
Enormous bulls like Ko Muang Phet are a lucrative business. In 2023, a farmer from Phitsanulok province in northern Thailand reportedly sold his 1.4-tonne bull for over US$1.45 million.
In a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Prime Minister Srettha mentioned that the Thai Buffalo Breeding Association had approached the government with a request to promote these animals as a means of “soft power.”
Ko Muang Phet’s delighted owner, Jintanat Limtongkul, fully supports this idea. “I want people to become more acquainted with buffaloes. Thai people used to have a close relationship with agriculture and buffaloes, but our modern lifestyle has distanced us,” he expressed to reporters at Government House.
Jintanat pledged to bring four giant buffaloes to meet tourists at Khao San Road, a popular backpacker destination in Bangkok, in April during the Songkran festival. This traditional Thai New Year celebration involves thousands of revelers engaging in a massive water fight on the streets.
