Besides being used to carry logs, buffaloes in Ba Kelalan are normally used to till the land, bred for meat and used for dowry.
The three horses owned by Tagal that were bought from Tuaran and Bario.
BA KELALAN: Buffaloes are highly prized animals for the Lun Bawang community in Ba Kelalan.
According to Lun Bawang elder, Tagal Paran, besides being used to carry logs, buffaloes in Ba Kelalan are normally used to till the land, for meat and for dowry.
“The buffaloes that we tamed can be used for hard labour such as carrying logs from the jungle. I remember that I would not be able to build my house if not for the buffaloes,” he told BAT IV at his residence yesterday.
Tagal, who is fondly known as Pak Tagal among the local community, said buffaloes play a very crucial role in the paddy fields as well.
“In the paddy fields, the buffaloes are let to roam and stay in the paddy fields after cultivation. The buffaloes will eat the grass, paddy straws and help to fertilise the soil with their dung.”
He said unlike the hardship that the local people faced in managing their paddy fields when not many buffaloes were available in 1960s, the people now were much more “relaxed” because most works were done by these beasts of burden.
“In the 1960s, it took the farmers two months to clear the paddy fields to prepare for the next planting season. With the buffaloes around, it will only take the farmers two weeks. That’s why many people are rearing buffaloes here now.”
Tagal said a male buffalo weighing more than 100 kg could be sold for between RM1,800 and RM2,000 in Ba Kelalan, adding that a 200kg buffalo could fetch a price of up to RM4,000.
Meanwhile, Tagal is also a pioneer in rearing horses in Buduk Nur in Ba Kelalan.
He has three horses, with the first one bought from Tuaran, Sabah while the other two were purchased from nearby Bario.
“The horse I bought in Tuaran, Sabah was used for horse racing in Kota Kinabalu. The other two were bought from Bario. When Tan Sri Harris Salleh was Sabah chief minister, he gave six horses to Bario.
“The horses then multiplied and subsequently I bought from them to be reared here in Ba Kelalan.”
Tagal said he initially used the horses as a tourism product but they had turned rather wild as they were let to roam free in the village.
“Nobody dares to ride them now. A year after I bought the horses, an English girl came and rode one of the horses to all the nine villages in Ba Kelalan.”