Lowland anoa (Bubalus depressicornis)

What do I eat?

Lowland anoas will eat plants, lots of plants! These small buffalo have been recorded to feed on around 146 different species of plants! This varies from grasses, aquatic plants, ferns, saplings, palm, fallen fruits and ginger.

They have also been seen drinking water from salt licks, pools and even sea water! It is thought that this may help to give the lowland anoa with different minerals that they need in their diet.

Where do I live?

Lowland anoas are only found in Indonesia, in particular on Sulawesi and Buton Island which is off the southeast coast.

They prefer to live in habitats that have primary and secondary lowland forests and also swamp and mangrove forests. Sometimes they can even be found in higher mountainous areas.

Breeding

These small buffalo are fully grown and able to breed from around 2 to 3 years old. They will spend most of their lives living alone in the wild (solitary), but they have been seen in mother and daughter pairs and even small groups of up to five individuals.

These animals do not have a particular breeding season as they are able to have young at any time and typically only one calf is born at a time.

Predators

Due to their size, adult lowland anoa does not have many threats from natural predators. However young anoas face threats from large snakes (such as reticulated pythons) and Sulawesi palm civets.

Conservation

Lowland anoas face many threats in the wild, mostly linked with loss of habitat and hunting. With more land wanted due to an increase in demand for land for farming, mining and logging, the lowland anoa is losing more of its original range. Hunting is considered to be a major threat to these small buffalo, as their meat is sought after by locals and it is sold in markets. Their horns are also wanted for trophies, souvenirs and in traditional medicines.

These animals are listed under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Flora and Fauna (CITES) which prohibits the trade of this species. The lowland anoa is also fully protected under Indonesian law, and it can be found in many protected areas; however poaching is known to still be a problem. To protect the lowland anoa in captivity, they are linked with captive breeding programs in animal collections in many countries.