Buffalo behaviour at milking parlor in relation to production rates and adaptability to the environment: a review

Buffaloes have become an economically viable source of protein, due to its adaptability, precocity and longevity. The dogma that high productivity cannot be related with the animal welfare needs to be effectively broken down by making the producers aware, based on education and science, of the appropriate treatment to animals favors the productivity. To high milk production buffaloes and with ability for milking, this happens without suckling calves which are artificially suckled. This technique, when not properly performed, can provide negative consequences, like difficulties in animal adaptation to the milking environment, especially those who are facing this experience for the first time, like primiparous buffaloes. The development of methods for temperament evaluation added to management improvements in the productive unit is valuable to improve the welfare conditions for animals. The behavioral observation in the milking environment is a very important tool for the determination of the animal's temperamental score which, in turn, is substantial to determine the level of welfare and conditioning/performance in this activity, and thus minimizing problems and negative consequences for animal handlers, animals and producer.