Meet ‘Trump’: The buffalo with blond hair spared from Eid sacrifice

A buffalo in Bangladesh nicknamed “Trump” for its distinctive blond, flowing hair has been spared from Eid Al Adha sacrifice and will instead be relocated to the country’s national zoo after gaining widespread attention online.

The rare albino buffalo, weighing around 700kg, had been due for slaughter during Eid Al Adha celebrations in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

But authorities intervened at the last minute after the animal — whose pale hair drew comparisons to US President Donald Trump’s signature hairstyle — became a social media sensation.

Curator of the National Zoo, Atiqur Rahman, said the buffalo would be cared for at the national zoo, where a dedicated enclosure and caretaker had been assigned.

“We have designated a shed for the albino buffalo and assigned a caregiver,” Rahman told AFP, adding that the animal would remain in quarantine for two weeks.

The buffalo’s former owner, Zia Uddin Mridha, said his brother gave the animal its nickname because of its unusual hair. According to him, crowds of visitors, including families, children and social media users, had flocked to see the animal in recent weeks.

Mridha had sold the buffalo ahead of Eid, but local authorities later intervened after Bangladesh’s livestock department reportedly requested that the rare animal be preserved rather than sacrificed.

Police in Dhaka’s Keraniganj area helped transfer the buffalo after officials said the albino animal was still young and could be raised for several more years.

Bangladesh is expected to see more than 12 million livestock — including cows, goats, sheep and buffaloes — sacrificed during Eid Al Adha, one of the most significant holidays in the Islamic calendar, when many lower-income households gain rare access to meat.