Bangladesh's 'Donald Trump' Buffalo Wins Fans

This photograph taken on May 17, 2026 shows a caretaker attending an albino buffalo nicknamed "Donald Trump" for sale ahead of Eid al-Adha at a livestock farm in Narayanganj. (Photo by Salahuddin AHMED / AFP)
This photograph taken on May 17, 2026 shows a caretaker attending an albino buffalo nicknamed "Donald Trump" for sale ahead of Eid al-Adha at a livestock farm in Narayanganj. (Photo by Salahuddin AHMED / AFP)
TT

Bangladesh's 'Donald Trump' Buffalo Wins Fans

This photograph taken on May 17, 2026 shows a caretaker attending an albino buffalo nicknamed "Donald Trump" for sale ahead of Eid al-Adha at a livestock farm in Narayanganj. (Photo by Salahuddin AHMED / AFP)
This photograph taken on May 17, 2026 shows a caretaker attending an albino buffalo nicknamed "Donald Trump" for sale ahead of Eid al-Adha at a livestock farm in Narayanganj. (Photo by Salahuddin AHMED / AFP)

Crowds in Bangladesh are flocking to snap photographs with an unlikely social media star -- an albino buffalo with flowing blond hair nicknamed "Donald Trump" due to be sacrificed within days.

Owner Zia Uddin Mridha, 38, said his brother named the 700 kilogram (1,500 pound) bull over its flowing helmet of hair resembling the signature look of the US president.

"My younger brother picked this name because of the buffalo's extraordinary hair," he told AFP at his farm in Narayanganj, just outside the capital Dhaka.

Mridha said a constant stream of curious visitors -- social media fans, onlookers and children -- have come throughout May, eager to see the internet sensation.

He watched as men poured a cool bucket of water over the bull's head, running a pink brush through its blond combover, neatly tucked between sweeping curved horns.

"The only luxury he enjoys is bathing four times a day," Mridha said, stressing that the similarities between the bull and the president stopped at the hair.

This photograph taken on May 17, 2026 shows an albino buffalo nicknamed "Donald Trump" for sale ahead of Eid al-Adha at a livestock farm in Narayanganj. (Photo by Salahuddin AHMED / AFP)

Officials from the livestock department said albino buffaloes are extremely rare, and appear white or pink due to a lack of melanin production.

Muslim-majority Bangladesh, a South Asian nation of 170 million people, is preparing for Eid al-Adha later this month.

More than 12 million livestock -- including goats, sheep, cows and buffaloes -- are expected to be sacrificed during the holiday, when many poorer families get a rare chance to feast on meat.

Mridha said the stress of the crowds had caused the buffalo to lose weight, forcing restrictions on public viewing.

Still, children continue to peer through the gates for a glimpse.

Businessman Faisal Ahmed, 30, was among those who managed to get close, snapping photographs.

"Truly, the features are similar between the buffalo and President Donald Trump," Ahmed told AFP, after arriving with five friends and relatives to see the animal.

"My nephew took a one-hour boat journey just to come and see 'Donald Trump'," he added.

This photograph taken on May 17, 2026 shows content creators shooting videos of an albino buffalo nicknamed "Donald Trump" for sale ahead of Eid al-Adha at a livestock farm in Narayanganj. (Photo by Salahuddin AHMED / AFP)

While the Trump buffalo has become a national star online, it is not the only buffalo with a nickname.

His companions include an aggressive bull named "Tufan", meaning "storm", a generously sized animal called "Fat Boy" and the gentle-natured "Sweet Boy".

One golden-haired bull was named after Brazilian footballer Neymar for his bleached-blond cut.

Mridha, who has cared for his four-year-old buffalo for the past year, looked with affection at the animal, snuffling through a bowl of fodder.

"I am going to miss Donald Trump, but that is the core spirit of Eid al-Adha -- making a sacrifice."



French Family Rescued After 16 Hours Adrift Off Thai Island

A ship that ferries passengers and vehicles during a 22-hour journey between Bangkok and the southern Thai island of Koh Samui, sails along the Chao Praya River in Bangkok on August 12, 2026. (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)
A ship that ferries passengers and vehicles during a 22-hour journey between Bangkok and the southern Thai island of Koh Samui, sails along the Chao Praya River in Bangkok on August 12, 2026. (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)
TT

French Family Rescued After 16 Hours Adrift Off Thai Island

A ship that ferries passengers and vehicles during a 22-hour journey between Bangkok and the southern Thai island of Koh Samui, sails along the Chao Praya River in Bangkok on August 12, 2026. (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)
A ship that ferries passengers and vehicles during a 22-hour journey between Bangkok and the southern Thai island of Koh Samui, sails along the Chao Praya River in Bangkok on August 12, 2026. (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)

A French family spent more than 16 hours floating at sea after their jet ski capsized off Thailand's Koh Samui island before being rescued, a local official told AFP on Saturday.

The 50-year-old father and his two sons, aged five and seven, were taken to hospital for checks after their overnight ordeal but were discharged shortly afterwards, local government official Amorn Chomchoey said.

"We found them exhausted after swallowing a lot of seawater," he told AFP.

"They were pale, especially the boys."

The father had rented a jet ski from a local operator on Koh Samui, a popular resort island in the Gulf of Thailand, at around 5:00 pm on Thursday.

The operator became concerned when the family failed to return at the agreed time and alerted local rescuers and provincial authorities, Amorn said.

They were found at around 10:00 am on Friday.

Investigators are looking into why the jet ski capsized after operating just over 15 minutes, Amorn's secretary, who also works as a translator, told AFP.

The father told officials he was an experienced jet ski driver, the secretary said.

But the jet ski operator told local media that the family appeared to have travelled outside the agreed area specified in the rental contract.

Footage of the rescue shared by the Koh Samui district office showed the jet ski almost completely capsized, with only its triangular front section visible above the water.

One of the boys was sitting on top of the jet ski while his father floated nearby, both of them wearing life jackets.

One rescuer can be heard shouting, "calm down" and "they survived," and later helped the boy onto another boat and provided the family with water.

The family remained in Thailand and continued their holiday, officials said.

Koh Samui is one of Thailand's most popular islands for families, thanks to its calm seas and wide range of resorts, attracting millions of visitors each year.


Lions and Tigers Begin Long-awaited Rescue from Notorious Argentine Zoo

Members of the Four Paws animal welfare organization carry a tiger to a crate for its transfer from a shuttered zoo to a sanctuary in South Africa, in Lujan, Argentina, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Members of the Four Paws animal welfare organization carry a tiger to a crate for its transfer from a shuttered zoo to a sanctuary in South Africa, in Lujan, Argentina, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
TT

Lions and Tigers Begin Long-awaited Rescue from Notorious Argentine Zoo

Members of the Four Paws animal welfare organization carry a tiger to a crate for its transfer from a shuttered zoo to a sanctuary in South Africa, in Lujan, Argentina, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Members of the Four Paws animal welfare organization carry a tiger to a crate for its transfer from a shuttered zoo to a sanctuary in South Africa, in Lujan, Argentina, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Thirty lions and tigers that were kept alive — barely — for years in cramped concrete cages at a shuttered Argentine zoo began entering jumbo-size transport crates Friday as they embarked on ambitious journeys to wildlife sanctuaries halfway across the world in South Africa and the United States.

The cats are being rescued from the former Luján Zoo, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) northwest of Argentina's capital of Buenos Aires, after years of uncertainty over their fate.

Four Paws, the international animal-welfare organization overseeing the transfer, described it as one of the largest relocations of captive big cats in the world.

“We are putting everything into making this go as smoothly as possible so we can celebrate that 30 lives have improved because of this effort,” said Luciana D’Abramo, program director for Four Paws.

Once loaded into their crates and placed aboard cargo and passenger jets, nine tigers and six lions will be flown to Lionsrock, a Four Paws sanctuary in South Africa that houses more than 80 big cats across natural enclosures sprawling 60 hectares (148 acres).

The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado, a vast refuge on the grasslands northeast of Denver where rescued lions, tigers and other animals roam expansive habitats.

But getting there is no easy feat: The big cats bound for Colorado will fly through Chile, while the others will travel to Johannesburg via Frankfurt or Amsterdam before a four-hour drive to Lionsrock.

The Four Paws handlers trained many of the lions and tigers to enter the crates voluntarily. But some of the big cats required sedation, including two tigers that veterinarians hoisted in canvas slings Friday and carried by hand to their transport crates, The Associated Press reported.

Argentine authorities shut down the Lujan Zoo — famous for letting visitors handle and pose for pictures with tigers and lions — over safety and animal welfare concerns in 2020.

D’Abramo said about 200 big cats were living there when it closed. Only 112 remained when Four Paws first arrived in 2023 seeking a solution.

By the time the organization was allowed to take over the site two years later, that number had fallen to 62. Some of the captive animals can barely walk because of obesity, muscle loss or poor nutrition. Others suffer from dental and kidney disease, complications from declawing and injuries that never healed properly.

“That alone shows the level of overcrowding and the conditions in which these animals have endured,” D’Abramo said.

The organization retrained longtime zoo employees in modern animal-welfare practices and began improving the cats’ diets and medical care. This transfer leaves more than 20 lions and tigers at Luján while Four Paws searches for their long-term homes.


Spain Investigates Likely Shooting of Endangered 'Grandmother' Orca

A handout photo shows marks on the dorsal fin of an elderly Iberian orca known as "Toñi," in the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain, August 11, 2026. WeWhale & Iberian Orca Guardians/Handout via REUTERS
A handout photo shows marks on the dorsal fin of an elderly Iberian orca known as "Toñi," in the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain, August 11, 2026. WeWhale & Iberian Orca Guardians/Handout via REUTERS
TT

Spain Investigates Likely Shooting of Endangered 'Grandmother' Orca

A handout photo shows marks on the dorsal fin of an elderly Iberian orca known as "Toñi," in the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain, August 11, 2026. WeWhale & Iberian Orca Guardians/Handout via REUTERS
A handout photo shows marks on the dorsal fin of an elderly Iberian orca known as "Toñi," in the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain, August 11, 2026. WeWhale & Iberian Orca Guardians/Handout via REUTERS

Spain's Environment Ministry has ordered an investigation into the likely shooting of a rare Iberian orca that was filmed swimming with wounds to its dorsal fin, Deputy Prime Minister Sara Aagesen said on Friday.

"The oldest orca in the Strait of Gibraltar has appeared with marks compatible with pellets" fired from a shotgun this week, she wrote in a post on Bluesky, announcing the investigation. "It is a vulnerable species and any harm to them is a serious ⁠crime."

The WeWhale Association ⁠and Iberian Orca Guardians said earlier they had documented multiple new wounds across the dorsal fin of Toñi, the oldest known Iberian orca, during their field operations.

"Seeing Toñi, “La Abuela” (the grandmother) like this is devastating," said Janek Andre, head of ⁠the two conservation groups. "If someone has deliberately fired a shotgun at her, this is not only an act of extreme cruelty against an individual animal. It is an attack on one of the last remaining members of a critically endangered population."

The Iberian orca subpopulation counts fewer than 40 animals, Reuters quoted the groups as saying.

Referring to a series of boat rammings by orca pods off the coasts of ⁠Spain ⁠and Portugal in recent years, Andre said: "Whatever someone’s opinion about those interactions may be, shooting at these animals can never be an acceptable response. These orcas need protection, not retaliation."

Scientists have yet to reach a consensus on the reasons for this relatively recent boat-ramming behavior. Although known as killer whales, orcas are part of the dolphin family. They can measure up to 8 meters (26 feet) and weigh up to 6 metric tons (13,200 pounds) as adults.