Rare buffalo nicknamed "Donald Trump" saved from sacrificial ritual

© picture alliance / Anadolu | Abdul Goni

In Bangladesh, a rare albino buffalo was spared from a sacrificial ritual for Eid al-Adha following government intervention. The Buffalo was nicknamed “Donald Trump” for its striking blond crest and became a social media sensation.

The nearly 700kg animal had already been sold for slaughter, but authorities intervened: they cited security reasons after the general public's interest in the animal skyrocketed ahead of Thursday's religious festival. It was Salahuddin Ahmed, Bangladesh's interior minister, who ordered "Donald Trump" to be spared. The buyer got his money back and the animal will be taken to the national zoo in the capital, Dhaka.

Interest in the animal had skyrocketed after a video went viral. The animal's owner explained that his brother had nicknamed the animal "Donald Trump" when he noticed its resemblance to the U.S. president.

"It's just a symbolic name that we gave him out of affection and love," Ziauddin Mridha, the farmer who bought the buffalo several months ago, told Indian news agency ANI. "It was my younger brother who gave him this name because of his fur. It went viral and a lot of people came to see him."

Picture: © picture alliance / Anadolu | Abdul Goni