The albino buffalo that became known as "Donald Trump" after drawing crowds at the sacrificial animal market is now among the main attractions at the Bangladesh National Zoo. The animal was taken into government custody the day before Eid, and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said it would be preserved rather than sacrificed.

Sultan Salauddin Tuku, state minister for fisheries and livestock, said in a statement that the albino buffalo had been taken to the national zoo for preservation because it was an exceptional event in the history of Bangladesh's livestock and biodiversity.

It is the phrase "rare breed" that scientists object to. Livestock researchers say albino is not a breed of buffalo at all — it is simply a genetic trait.

It occurs when a genetic change leaves the animal's body short of melanin, a condition called albinism, which can appear rarely in a buffalo of any breed.

Dr Md Munir Hossain, head of the department of animal breeding and genetics at Bangladesh Agricultural University, said: "Albinism is really a kind of genetic disorder or character, and it is rare."

Public interest has not faded. The day after Eid, thousands of visitors crowded the national zoo in Mirpur, and many were heard asking staff at the main gate which way to Donald Trump.

Asaduzzaman Kanan, a visitor at the zoo, told BBC Bangla: "It was good, I came to the zoo and saw Donald Trump, there is a resemblance in the hair and the colour." For a farmer the breeding lesson is simple: coat colour does not identify a breed — pedigree and production records do.

Source: BBC Bangla