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Dr. Stephen Bennett developed a new breed of cattle whose name matches the land of his birth, the land of the calypso – the Buffalypso. Through selective breeding he set out to reduce infections in water buffalo which were prone to tuberculosis. He found that the Indian water buffalo, which was introduced to Trinidad as a “beast of burden” to work on the sugar estates, was a tougher animal. It was less infected with this disease and so he chose these animals for his breeding programme. He soon realised that these animals were under-utilised and had potential as a beef breed. After many years of research he developed this superior breed, the Buffalypso (Bubalis bubalis), in the early 1960s.

The Buffalypso is a prized breed because of its thick skin, its ability to keep off parasites and its good quality beef and milk production. The thick skin has great value in the manufacture of leather goods, since it can be split to form two hides - the outer skin used for belts and shoes and the thin inner skin for handbags. Buffalypso became an amazing breed of animals, which were introduced to Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Argentina, Cuba, USA and Italy among many other countries.

Apart from this outstanding work in cattle breeding,
Dr. Bennett pioneered veterinary practice in Trinidad and Tobago. He established services for racehorses, farm and domestic animals. Together with Dr. William Robert Jones he established a small animal clinic. Back then, lacking modern medicine and equipment he devised numerous simple procedures and devices to diagnose, treat and save animals in the field.

Stephen Bennett was born in Princes Town, Trinidad on January 28, 1922. At age 10, he trained and he became a jockey. While attending school at St. Benedict’s College (now Presentation College, San Fernando), he both took part in horseracing and was involved in other sports, including athletics, cricket, football and boxing.

He studied Agriculture at the Ontario Agricultural College (now University of Guelph) in Canada. His love for animals led him to specialise in Animal Husbandry. He was an exceptional student winning the prize for the highest total marks in the University. He graduated with his Diploma in Agriculture in 1941. On his return to Trinidad due to World War II, he worked on his father’s dairy farm.

He returned to university, the Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical College in Fort Collins, Colorado USA to study Veterinary Medicine. In those days “vets” only treated horses and many people disapproved of his decision saying “the days of horses are gone we are now in the age of cars” but this did not discourage him from pursuing his goal. He graduated in 1948 with his doctorate and was well known throughout the Caribbean for his unmatched skills as a “vet” who not only took care of thoroughbred horses but also mules, cattle, water buffaloes, cats and dogs to name a few. His practice was highly acclaimed and his services were often called upon in Barbados, Martinique, Grenada and Guyana among other Caribbean countries. An ardent member of the horse racing circuit, he developed and introduced a technique for testing racehorse urine for drug use, which was a better method than previous tests using saliva.

Dr. Bennett also worked with Caroni Limited as a veterinarian on a part-time basis. It was at this job that his interest was sparked in water buffaloes. Since 1906, water buffaloes were imported from India to work as ‘beasts of burden’ on the sugar estates. This breed was introduced as a replacement for the Zebu cattle, which had a high susceptibility to tuberculosis. Five hundred water buffalo when tested by Dr. Bennett showed 30% incidence of tuberculosis. He established a programme to eradicate this condition by improving environmental conditions to prevent the spread of the disease.

In realising the animals’ adaptability and tolerance for many other diseases, Dr. Bennett then began a programme for selection of favourable characteristics through selective breeding. His resulted in the development of a primarily beef breed of buffalo which he named the Buffalypso. These animals became highly regarded for their thick hides, their resistance to parasites and immunity to skin infections. The beef of the animals was also low in cholesterol and their milk was of a superior quality. They were also able to thrive in areas where many other breeds of cattle could not because of poor quality grass. This innovation by Dr. Bennett therefore marked a significant step forward in the beef industry. The year 1965 marked the first shipment of 200 heads of buffalypso to Colombia, subsequent to which other shipments were made to 19 other countries including Italy and the USA.

Dr. Bennett received many awards for his outstanding contribution as a pioneer in Veterinary Medicine and as the man who developed the buffalypso. Included among these are a National Award from the Government of Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the Chaconia Medal, Gold (1984) and an Honorary Degree from the University of the West Indies (2001).

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Sources:

Interview with Dr. Stephen Bennett.

Weblinks:

Profile on Dr. Stephen P. Bennett on NIHERST’s Sci-TechKnoFest website “Of Our Own” section

Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources website information on the Water Buffaloes of Trinidad and Tobago

Selected Publications:

Bennett, S. P. 1973. The "buffalypso" - an evaluation of a beef type of water buffalo in Trinidad, West Indies. Paper presented at the Third World Conference on Animal Production, Melbourne, Australia.

Stephen Penlyn Bennett
- Veterinarian

Sources:

Weblinks:

Selected Publications:

Education:

Awards & Fellowships:

Memberships

Stephen Penlyn Bennett - Veterinarian

Sources:

Weblinks:

Selected Publications:

Education:

Awards & Fellowships:

Memberships

Stephen Penlyn Bennett
- Veterinarian