Post by fish on Mar 4, 2014 6:28:58 GMT 5
The buffalo vs. bull fight
By Nancy Johnson
For the Deming Headlight
It all started late one night after Christmas, 1906, with a drunken conversation in a Pierre, South Dakota bar. Three old friends were discussing buffalo which led to buffalo bulls which led to a question. "Could a buffalo bull beat a Longhorn bull?" which led to, "Could a buffalo bull beat a Mexican fighting bull?" Shortly afterward the men departed for their respective homes.
The question persisted when each awoke the next morning. A few days later one sent a telegram to a friend who owned the Coney Island Bar in El Paso, which everyone knew was right across the border from Ju‡rez, home of a fine bull ring. The El Pasoan spoke to Robert Felix, a matador and manager of the Ju‡rez Bullring and they cut a deal. There was a raging blizzard on Jan. 7, 1907, when two buffalo bulls, an old one and a 4-year-old, were put aboard a reinforced boxcar for their trip to El Paso. The three men rode in the caboose.
There were posters all over El Paso and Ju‡rez announcing the event, scheduled for Jan. 14. A buffalo bull versus a proud Mexican bull whose breeding for many generations had but one purpose in mind: Fight with pride to the death.
There were four fights between bulls to warm up the crowd. During the long wait to see the buffalo, many people became restive, certain the gringos had lost their nerve. When the door to the arena opened the old buffalo bull limped out to the center of the ring and stood there, his head bowed probably in pain. The fetlock of his left hind leg had been injured during the train ride. The crowd politely applauded.
The door opened again and a Mexican fighting bull rushed out ready for battle. Seeing a strange animal in the center of the ring, he pawed the ground, snorted a few times, then charged. The buffalo never moved. His body was at a quartering angle to the bull. Cattle pivot on their hind legs. Few know a buffalo pivots on his forelegs.
At the moment of contact the buffalo's hindquarters miraculously disappeared as he met the bull's charge head to head with a crack heard throughout the arena. Again the bull charged and this time the buffalo realized the pest meant business so he put a little more force into defense knocking the bull on his haunches. When the bull charged a third time the exasperated buffalo met him head to head. The bull collapsed then rose to his feet and staggered to the ringside barrier looking for escape.
Robert Felix demanded another chance. There had, after all been no real fight. A second bull was brought in. He too charged three times before running off to the barrier searching for escape. A third bull met the same fate.
Now three prize Mexican bulls frightened into submission were circling the ring. The 'Pride of Pierre' had lost all interest in the game. He laid down where he'd stood since walking into the arena and took a nap. The crowd went wild cheering and clapping for the bored buffalo.
After a long wait a fourth bull was brought in. This time the buffalo, his nap interrupted, was really aggravated. Before the bull could even charge, the old buffalo began chasing him and the other three bulls around the arena. He couldn't catch them because of his injured fetlock but finally sympathetic workers opened the gate so the bulls could escape from the now very angry buffalo.
At the end of the day the question remained. "Could a buffalo bull beat a Mexican fighting bull?" North of the border the answer was a resounding 'yes.' South of the border the answer was 'quien sabe.' After all, there had been no real fight.
Nancy Johnson is a local columnist. Her column appears in the Deming Headlight on Wednesday.
elpasotimes.typepad.com/morgue/the-buffalo-vs-bull-fight.html
www.southdakotamagazine.com/buffalo-vs-bull
This was a great example of wild bovine's superiority against domestic bulls. A tired bison fought three fighting bulls into submission - and India gaur are even bigger than America bison. A Bengal tiger has a damn good chance of killing this domestic bull.
You are aware the domestic cattle in your account were not fighting bulls but the very docile natured longhorns?
Besides, a large bovine may be able to bully a smaller one, but that doesnt neccessarily mean the smaller one would do worse against a predator like a tiger. Something like a fighting bull has explosiveness and manouverability advantages compared to a heavier-built gaur that could prove more useful when dealing with a big cat, who mostly use agility and technique to bring down bigger prey.
The success of the tiger may well be dependent on the environment of the fight.
