e4thai.com

       RATCHABURI - Worshippers going to a temple for Visakha Bucha Day were surprised Monday when they saw a buffalo join in the merit-making.

       Three-year-old Bua Ngern carried a monk's sack behind Phra Khru Sasanakitwiboon, the abbot of Wat Thung Tarn in Muang district, and other disciples as Buddhists went to the temple to offer alms for the holiday.

       The abbot said he had bought the animal from a slaughterhouse in Ratchaburi after its mother was killed and took it to the temple. The buffalo stayed there with more than 100 dogs and got along very well, said Phra Khru Sasanakitwiboon.

      The monk said the buffalo sometimes went out with him in the mornings, but he decided to seek alms close to the temple for fear of being hit by a car.

       Bua Ngern also follows him to the main hall when he led other monks in prayers every morning and evening. The buffalo waited for him outside and they went back to his residence together, he added.