A photo essay by Bullit Marquez/AP/ Text by Howie Severino

When I arrived at last week's Carabao Festival in Pulilan, Bulacan, I was met by the exuberant photojournalist Bullit Marquez of the Associated Press, who immediately showed me the muddy spot on his pants where a carabao just kicked him. That turned out to be the same carabao that would later run wild through the parade route, the first time in memory that the parade was disrupted by a crazed carabao. Bullit sent me his photos below, which were also circulated around the world through AP:



The lumbering, gentle carabao is the Philippine countryside's iconic image. But every farmer knows it is also capable of explosive fury when provoked or sexually aroused.



That probably explains the havoc created by the Bulgarian buffalo above, a cousin of the Philippine carabao. Passing the town church, dozens of carabaos in a long procession were made to kneel by their masters, not just a sign of piety but docility of these gentle giants. The unusually large participant above refused to kneel, then ran away from the men trying to hold on.



As the water buffalo toyed with its handlers, a mini stampede occurred beside the church. Townfolk and visitors from neighboring municipalities had thought this would be a fun afternoon spectacle.



Moments after this photo was taken, the carabao would begin its long manic run through the crowd, wildly towing its wagon and three other carabaos tied to it.



I saw this woman run over by the carabao, but did not appear seriously hurt. Bullit stayed behind at the church to continue shooting the procession, but my cameraman Tenten Bautista and I chased after the buffalo and videotaped the mayhem it caused along the way. Our three-minute story that appeared on 24 Oras on Friday night can be seen here.

We documented much more, including how the animal was pacified and brought home to Plaridel, Bulacan where it was returned to its bucolic existence of farming and mating with a small harem of fellow Bulgarian buffaloes. It will all appear in our I-Witness documentary about the trusty Kalabaw (well, not always trusty apparently) on May 25. Watch out for the TV plugs.

And oh yeah, for those who have been wondering, they do have water buffaloes in Europe, especially including those in Italy and Bulgaria, where t best known for producing milk for mozzarella cheese. According to owner Bobby Gatuz, the wild one's harem in Plaridel produces abundant milk which he sells to his neighbors who use it to make Bulacan's luscious pastillas.