Water Buffalo Domestication

Two thousand years before Indo-Europeans arrived, Neolithic people domesticated the river-type water buffalo in western South Asia (which includes the Indus Valley region). From there, they brought it west as far as Egypt, southern Europe, the Levant, and the Mediterranean regions.

These creatures are often trusted family members, who work pulling, carrying, and generally hauling loads up to 40 years old.  They can also be milked, and their male off-spring eaten.