“You’re Fired’ — Eid Edition: The Trump Buffalo’s Last Stand.”

The buffalo in Narayanganj stood quietly in a pen, just outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, when, unexpectedly,

it drew worldwide media attention from a "spray-on tan" that had been placed on it. The buffalo appeared

to have similarities to Mr Donald Trump’s hairstyle through its long, shaggy hair with a pale and blonde hue.

What had been a typical livestock farm with a 700 kg (1500 lb) beef cow and a 4-year-old albino buffalo was

seized by the international media, and the media, in turn, labelled it as "The Buffalo." The popularity of such

interest in something that most would consider uninteresting was unprecedented, attracting enormous crowds,

generating international humour about the location of the buffalo, and ultimately serving as a valid example,

as an exercise, of how quickly one can go from being famous for an extremely short period of time to being forgotten.

The “President” of the Pasture

The albino buffalo, Donald Trump, started out as a family joke before it began its journey to discover its true identity.

Ziauddin Mridha, the owner of the buffalo, told reporters that his brother had named the animal "Donald" based on

how similar the buffalo's hairstyle looked to that of Donald Trump. "He's big, strong, and very gentle by nature, just

like the actual Donald Trump," Mridha said. When others saw pictures and videos of the buffalo on various social

media platforms, they immediately jumped on the opportunity to comment on how similar it looked to the president.

Many responded with caricatures illustrating how alike they were because they have similar hairstyles; however, far

outnumbering those responses were memes that illustrated how crazy it is that a buffalo could have the same

hairstyle as the president.

The Selfie Stampede

As a result of the buffalo's growing online following, the animal's popularity has also increased in real life.

Daily, dozens of individuals travel from nearby and far-off regions via vehicle and boat to visit the buffalo to make

their own videos and photos with the animal. This influx has also created a problem. Due to the increased number of

individuals visiting the animal, the buffalo has been under too much stress and is losing weight. "The only real luxury

that he has is getting to bathe four times a day," stated Mridha. Because of the number of individuals visiting the animal,

the buffalo needs to take many more baths than before just to keep him clean and in good shape. The farm's owner has

put limitations on how many people can view the buffalo; however, many children still line up at the fence to see the famous buffalo.

A Metaphor for Leadership

The narrative quickly moved beyond the Bangladesh border to be viewed worldwide as a piece of geopolitical satire.

Media outlets connected with Iran have not shied away from providing commentary about the U.S. administration.

One such account used a video to provide commentary on the size and shape of the Bangladeshi buffalo compared to

that of President Trump, with the caption, "Poor Thing! Bangladeshi buffalo are upset because I'm compared to The Donald.

The post suggested that the buffalo lost its appetite after the "Donald" comment as a way to illustrate how absurd it was to

compare a buffalo to the President. Several Westerners joined the discussion as well. Researcher Bill Drexel used Twitter to

say that there was "no denying" the viral nature of the buffalo was "testament to the president's incredible charm," but then

went on to say that he was conflicted after learning that the buffalo was to be sacrificed during EID. As a result, the story has

now evolved into a Rorschach test regarding the global views of the 45th president, metaphorically depicted by the rare albino bovine.

A Buffalo with a Purpose

The intention behind purchasing the buffalo is very clear. Mr Muhammad Fariduzzaman Sharon bought the buffalo for the Eid al-Adha

religious holiday as part of a larger plan to please Allah through a traditional Islamic sacrifice. In fact, Mr Sharon went on to say that his

purchasing the buffalo was for the sole purpose of sacrificing it in the way of Allah. The sale of the buffalo has been a significant financial

transaction. The buffalo was sold by weight, at a price per kilogram of 550 Bangladeshi Taka (about $4.50), and the total cost to Mr Sharon

was nearly 330,000 Taka. For the buffalo farmer, Mr Mridha, emotions were conflicting. “I’m going to miss Donald Trump,” he said, “but this

is the true meaning of Eid al-Adha—making a sacrifice,” illustrating the conflict between viral love and attachment to his animal and fulfilling

one’s religious duty.

Fame Defined

The head of livestock in Bangladesh mentioned that the albino buffalo is very unusual. Their white or pink skin is due to a lower level of

melanin when compared to less rare species. The fact that the animal is an unusual combination of genetics and humour from its

alliterative name has created the perfect storm for becoming a viral sensation. However, with Eid al-Adha fast approaching and this animal

getting ready for its yearly ritual, the story of Bangladesh's “Trump Buffalo” exemplifies how the internet functions in such a poignant way.

It is a story of the fleeting resemblance of an animal to a world leader that changed a farm animal into a representation of humour and

commentary on the state of political affairs throughout the world today. A four-year-old buffalo in Narayanganj had, at one point in time,

the metaphorical weight of the online community as well as its own memories, along with the entire internet’s ever-increasing demand

for the next big thing, resting on it. With the end of this animal’s life approaching, this animal will no longer exist in relation to being part of this

viral phenomenon. But for now, this is an example of how the internet can take an everyday object and create something magical.