He weighs around 1,500 pounds, has a head of fluffy golden hair, and spends his afternoons being brushed, hosed down, and admired by selfie-snapping crowds. Meet the rare albino buffalo that much of Bangladesh has decided to call Donald Trump.
- A farmer first spotted the resemblance between the buffalo’s blond tuft and the U.S. president’s hair, and a viral video did the rest.
- The animal was rescued from a planned Eid al-Adha slaughter and moved to the national zoo in Dhaka by government order.
- The exhibit’s “Donald Trump” sign was quietly removed, and the zoo’s curator was fired days later.
A Buffalo, a Tuft, and a Viral Moment
With his shock of golden hair and 700-kilogram (1,500-pound) build, Donald Trump has been drawing crowds from across Bangladesh since arriving at the national zoo. The nickname stuck fast. The rare albino buffalo became a sensation when a farmer noticed that his blond tuft of hair resembled the distinctive locks of the U.S. president.
From there, social media did what it always does. After a video of the pale horned mammal went viral, large numbers of people started showing up to see him for themselves. Phones came out. Kids got hoisted onto shoulders. A buffalo with a good blowout became one of the most photographed animals in the country.
Saved From the Sacrifice
The story almost ended very differently. The animal was originally meant to be slaughtered for the Muslim festival of sacrifice. But citing security concerns, the government ordered him transferred to the zoo in the capital, where large crowds are now braving sweltering heat to see him.
The buffalo had been sold ahead of Eid al-Adha, the “Feast of Sacrifice.” When the home minister ordered police to take it into custody, the authorities refunded the buyer. One curious traveler made the trip from hundreds of miles away just to see what the fuss was about. “Since before Eid, I had been seeing posts on Facebook saying that ‘Donald Trump’ would be sacrificed. Later, I heard that instead of being sacrificed, it had been placed in a zoo,” said Mohammad Habibur Rahman, a visitor from the southwestern Bangladeshi city of Jashore. “So, I thought I would come to the zoo and see ‘Donald Trump’ for myself,” he said.
Living the Celebrity Life
Once inside the gates, the buffalo gets treatment most pets would envy. Visitors pressed against the fence of the enclosure, filming with their phones as some fathers hoisted small children on their shoulders for a better view. A zoo worker pampered the animal, brushing his hair to one side and hosing him down with water to keep him cool as fans blew on him.
Visitors say the resemblance is uncanny. “There is a resemblance to Donald Trump in its eyes, hairstyle, and skin color,” said Mohammed Nasim, a student in Dhaka. He didn’t stop at looks. “And just as Donald Trump has a distinctive personality and lifestyle, this buffalo, after going viral, is now living a similar kind of life, enjoying a lot of attention and special treatment,” he added.
The Sign Comes Down, the Curator Goes Out
Naming a zoo animal after a sitting U.S. president, it turns out, has consequences. Local media reported that the exhibit initially included a sign that said “Donald Trump,” which has since been removed. The zoo curator was fired Saturday, though no official cause was given for the dismissal.
The buffalo, of course, is unbothered by the politics. He keeps eating, keeps posing, and keeps tossing that golden tuft around for the cameras. The official placard may be gone, but ask anyone walking up to the enclosure who they’re here to see, and the answer hasn’t changed.
Why This Story Keeps Spreading
There’s something irresistible about animals that accidentally look like famous humans. Add a last-minute rescue, a government intervention, a fired curator, and a hot Dhaka afternoon, and you’ve got the kind of human-interest oddity that travels around the world in hours. The buffalo doesn’t know he’s famous. He just knows the fans are good, the water is cool, and someone keeps fixing his hair. For a creature that was supposed to be dinner, that’s a pretty solid second act.
