Albino buffalo ‘Donald Trump’ spared from Eid sacrifice
The widely discussed albino buffalo nicknamed “Donald Trump,” which had been sold for sacrifice during Eid-ul-Azha, will no longer be sacrificed. It has been learned that the buffalo is being spared from sacrifice through special intervention by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
At around 5:30 pm Today, Wednesday, the buffalo was seen being taken to Keraniganj police station from Islampur in Zinzira, Keraniganj.
Earlier, around 4:00 pm, an officer of Keraniganj district police (who requested anonymity) arrived there and spoke with the buffalo’s owner, Moniruzzaman. The officer said, “Instructions have come from the top that the buffalo cannot be sacrificed. For now, we have been told to take it to the police station.”
Later, the buffalo was taken there from the house. Regarding the matter, the buffalo’s owner, Moniruzzaman, told Prothom Alo, “I bought the buffalo 10 days after Eid-ul-Fitr. Three days ago, I brought it home from the farm. This afternoon, people from the police station came and said the government would take it. We do not want any disorder. The government wanted it, so we handed it over.”
Replying to a query about what would offered after the buffalo was taken, Moniruzzaman said, “The government said they would pay us whatever price it is worth, or else they would provide a cow for sacrifice.”
Keraniganj model police station officer-in-charge Ruhul Quddus told Prothom Alo that the buffalo had been brought back from the owner’s house. Since it is a rare species of animal, it will be handed over to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.
At around 6:30 pm, Moniruzzaman’s son, Mahir, spoke to Prothom Alo over the phone. He said that they were at the police station with the buffalo. According to him, police had asked them to deliver it to the station, and they were doing so.
When asked whether he knew what the government planned to do with the buffalo, Mahir said, “What the government will do, they know that. They told us to bring it to the police station. We have brought it to the station. The rest is their (the government’s) matter.”
It is learned that visitors had been flocking to see the buffalo ever since it was brought to the house. At around 3:30 pm today, upon visiting Moniruzzaman’s house, the buffalo was found tied inside a room. Due to the excessive crowd of visitors, the family had been forced to keep it indoors.
However, even after the buffalo was taken to the police station, many visitors continued to come and then leave after learning it was gone. One such visitor was Rima Akter. She told Prothom Alo that she had seen the buffalo on mobile phone videos and had come eagerly to see it in person today. But after arriving, she learned that it had been taken away shortly before.
The albino buffalo was nicknamed “Trump” affectionately by the younger brother of Ziauddin Mridha, owner of Rabeya Agro Farm in Paikpara, Narayanganj city, because its hair and eyes resembled those of Donald Trump.
Later, Prothom Alo published a report on the buffalo on 12 May. Various media outlets also published reports about it. Following the publication of these reports, the buffalo gained worldwide attention. Subsequently, the buffalo “Donald Trump” became an international centre of attraction. From AFP to Reuters, almost all international media outlets featured the viral buffalo.