Crowds in Bangladesh are flocking to snap photographs with an unlikely social media star — an albino buffalo with flowing blond hair nicknamed “Donald Trump” due to be sacrificed within days.<\/p>\n
\nOwner Zia Uddin Mridha, 38, said his brother named the 700 kilogram (1,500 pound) bull over its flowing helmet of hair resembling the signature look of the US president.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“My younger brother picked this name because of the buffalo’s extraordinary hair,” he told AFP at his farm in Narayanganj, just outside the capital Dhaka.<\/p>\n
\nMridha said a constant stream of curious visitors — social media fans, onlookers and children — have come throughout May, eager to see the internet sensation.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
He watched as men poured a cool bucket of water over the bull’s head, running a pink brush through its blond combover, neatly tucked between sweeping curved horns.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“The only luxury he enjoys is bathing four times a day,” Mridha said, stressing that the similarities between the bull and the president stopped at the hair.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Officials from the livestock department said albino buffaloes are extremely rare, and appear white or pink due to a lack of melanin production.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Muslim-majority Bangladesh, a South Asian nation of 170 million people, is preparing for Eid al-Adha later this month.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Mridha said the stress of the crowds had caused the buffalo to lose weight, forcing restrictions on public viewing.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Still, children continue to peer through the gates for a glimpse.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Businessman Faisal Ahmed, 30, was among those who managed to get close, snapping photographs.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“Truly, the features are similar between the buffalo and President Donald Trump,” Ahmed told AFP, after arriving with five friends and relatives to see the animal.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“My nephew took a one-hour boat journey just to come and see ‘Donald Trump’,” he added.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nWhile the Trump buffalo has become a national star online, it is not the only buffalo with a nickname.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
His companions include an aggressive bull named “Tufan”, meaning “storm”, a generously sized animal called “Fat Boy” and the gentle-natured “Sweet Boy”.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
One golden-haired bull was named after Brazilian footballer Neymar for his bleached-blond cut.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Mridha, who has cared for his four-year-old buffalo for the past year, looked with affection at the animal, snuffling through a bowl of fodder.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“I am going to miss Donald Trump, but that is the core spirit of Eid al-Adha — making a sacrifice.”<\/p>\n