An albino buffalo in Bangladesh was spared at the last minute from the Eid al-Adha sacrifice, all thanks to its tuft of pale hair, which many believe bears an uncanny resemblance to US President Donald Trump’s signature hairstyle.
The rare albino buffalo was hours away from being slaughtered after being sold by its owner, Zia Mridha, for Eid al-Adha, the Islamic festival of sacrifice, when the Bangladeshi Ministry of Home Affairs intervened to save it.
The Minister, Salahuddin Ahmed, on Thursday ordered that the buffalo be spared, the buyer refunded, and the animal moved to the national zoo in Dhaka, the state capital.
“At the last moment, the decision was taken to spare the buffalo from sacrifice due to security concerns and the unusual level of public interest,” the ministry said, according to the Guardian.
The animal was reared at Rabeya Agro Farm in the Paikpara area of Narayanganj, Narayanganj, a city just southeast of Dhaka.
“Donald Trump”, as the buffalo has come to be known, has always drawn attention. It was for his “extraordinary hair,” Mridha, the former owner, said.
Crowds often gathered at the farm. Onlookers, visitors from far, children filtered through the farms to see its blond fringe of the albino buffalo. Images of the animal also went viral online. Users created memes, jokes, and made comparisons on social media.
As pictures of the buffalo spread online, the number of visitors who came to see the nearly 1,500-pound animal in person rose.
Mridha said it was his younger brother who spotted the resemblance between the buffalo’s hair and Mr Trump’s and nicknamed it after the US leader.
The owner described the animal as unusually gentle and needing constant care, primarily for feeding and regular baths.
The Trump “doppelganger” will now live as a social media celebrity in the Zoo’s star attraction, likely attracting more attention from fans and onlookers than it did before the Eid season.
