John I Borja

Pacific Daily News

While it’s rare to see a feral carabao, or water buffalo, out on local land, the Navy estimates there are between 100 and 150 carabaos roaming its premises.

Theresa Cepeda, deputy public affairs officer for the U.S. Naval Base Guam, said there are three main herds, on federal property. and some male carabaos also wander on their own, Cepeda said.

“The Navy does not secure the carabao in any way and they roam freely,” she said.

The non-indigenous animal, which came from the Philippines during Spanish occupation more than 400 years ago, has become a recurring symbol for the island. However, one is more likely to see a statue of a carabao than a feral carabao outside the base.

Poaching and “other human disturbances” are factors behind the lack of carabaos, which are mainly found in southern Guam, according to Jeff Quitugua, wildlife biologist for the Division of Aquatics and Wildlife Resources.

“Most seen outside of Navy boundaries are domesticated animals belonging to individuals who pasture their carabao along the side of the roads or near wetlands,” he said.

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Trapping law

According to Guam law, it’s illegal to hunt and kill feral carabaos, but they can be trapped and domesticated. The law outlines the steps to trapping a carabao, from obtaining a permit to registering the beast.

A noncommercial carabao trapping license costs $250. It's $1,000 for a commercial license, the law states. It also indicates carabaos can be caught at any time of the year.

Local residents don’t have the authority to catch a feral carabao on federal property, though, so the law is rarely enforced, if not at all. For one carabao owner, the law is no longer necessary.

“There’s no need for carabao permits or licenses because there aren’t any carabaos in the wild,” said John Ray Aguon. He owns a carabao business catering to tourists at the Valley of the Latte Adventure Park, Chamorro Village in Hagåtña and the Pacific Islands Club.

Aguon didn’t have to trap any of his carabaos. All his life, he has yet to see a feral carabao outside of the base. The four he owns were either given to him by his family or his friends.

The Division of Aquatics and Wildlife Resources said it hasn’t given out a carabao permit for many years.

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Herds on base

The Navy’s carabao population, which grows by about 10 percent each year, has caused ecological harm to federal property over the years.

Because carabaos aren't native to Guam, "the native plants have no defenses,” Cepeda said.

Carabao damage affects reforestation efforts and causes erosion, which affects the island’s streams, rivers and surrounding ocean. The damage also indirectly impacts Guam’s coral reefs, she said.

“Their grazing habits and hooves trample plants and churn up the soil, and then stormwater carries the sedimentation into streams and rivers, which eventually discharge to nearshore waters where all the reefs are located,” Cepeda said.

At one point, the Navy sought ways to reduce the population of carabao on its property because of the ecological damage.

It created an adoption program with the Guam Department of Agriculture and the Mayors’ Council of Guam to release the carabaos to the public, according to Pacific Daily News files.

The program didn’t help in reducing the population, though, and Cepeda said the program hasn't been active for more than 10 years.

In 2003, the Navy resorted to culling carabaos, which sparked protests by the local community. More than 60 carabaos were killed, PDN files show. The Navy assured the public the killings have ceased.

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Domestication

Aguon said he remembers the program and the cull, and he suggested that if the carabaos are still causing much damage, the Navy should continue releasing the beasts out to the public.

However, Aguon warned that aspiring carabao owners shouldn’t expect an easy task.

“If you want to have a carabao, make sure you don’t have a wife or a girlfriend, because they’re going to be jealous,” Aguon joked.

Aguon said he has to check on them every morning and night, making sure they have enough shade and water to keep cool. Carabaos only sweat from the nose, he said, so it’s easy for them to overheat.

Aguon leaves his carabaos at pasture spots around the island, where they can eat grass and move around. The carabaos usually are tied to a tree so they don’t run loose, he said. When they do, Aguon only needs to call on them and the carabaos will return to him.

His carabaos mostly are for promoting ecotourism, unlike in the past when carabaos were used for plowing, farming and transportation. Thanks to advancements in industrial equipment, carabaos no longer need to perform such labor, Aguon said.

The animal has been on Guam for hundreds of years and is threaded into the island’s history, Aguon said. He hopes the presence of carabaos remain on the island for future generations to see.

“The carabao is an icon to our Chamorro culture,” Aguon said.