A rare albino buffalo nicknamed “Donald Trump” for its distinctive blond tuft has been saved from ritual slaughter in Bangladesh hours before the Eid al-Adha festival, after the government stepped in and ordered the animal transferred to the national zoo in Dhaka.
The nearly 700-kilogram animal had already been sold for ritual slaughter when authorities intervened, citing security concerns after a surge of public interest ahead of Thursday’s festival. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed ordered the buffalo to be spared, the buyer refunded, and the animal moved to the national zoo.
The buffalo’s former owner, Zia Uddin Mridha, 38, said his brother had named it “Trump” because of its “extraordinary hair.” With its cream-coloured body, pinkish nose and flowing pale fringe across its forehead, the resemblance to the US president’s signature look was striking enough to make it an unlikely social media phenomenon. Videos spread rapidly online, drawing curious visitors from across Bangladesh to the farm in Narayanganj to see it in person. The buffalo quickly became one of the main attractions among thousands of animals brought to Eid cattle markets across Bangladesh.
Mridha said a constant stream of visitors — social media fans, onlookers and children — came to see the animal before he sold it ahead of Eid. The owner described it as unusually gentle and said it required careful upkeep, including frequent feeding and regular baths. It was precisely this wave of public attention that ultimately sealed the animal’s fate — not as a sacrifice, but as a protected exhibit.
“The livestock department requested us to take the buffalo from the owner as it is a rare animal,” Mohammad Ruhul Quddus, officer-in-charge of Dhaka’s Keraniganj Police Station, told AFP. “They said that the albino buffalo is still very young and can be raised for a few years.”
National zoo curator Atiqur Rahman said a separate shed and caregiver had already been arranged for it. “We have designated a shed for the albino buffalo and assigned a caregiver,” Rahman told AFP. “He will be quarantined for two weeks.”
Albino buffaloes are rare in Bangladesh, where most cattle are dark, making the animal a standout during the peak Eid livestock season. More than 12 million livestock — including goats, sheep, cows and buffaloes — are expected to be sacrificed during the holiday, when many poorer families get a rare chance to feast on meat. The Trump buffalo is one of a very small number to escape that fate — saved, in the end, not by any formal protection status, but by a viral social media following and the unlikely power of a political nickname.
