Pink buffalo draws attraction in Ishwardi ahead of Eid

A rare pink buffalo has become the centre of attraction at the sacrificial animal market in Ishwardi ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

People from distant areas are visiting Zakir Dairy Farm, located beside the Arankola cattle market in the municipal town, to see the unusual animal. While some visitors are interested in purchasing it, many are simply crowding the farm to catch a glimpse of the rare pink buffalo.

According to the Upazila Livestock Office, these buffaloes belong to the “albino buffalo” breed. Due to genetic characteristics, their bodies lack sufficient melanin, causing their skin to appear light pink or sometimes pure white. Their eyes are usually light pink or bluish in colour. However, in terms of temperament and feeding habits, they are similar to ordinary black buffaloes and consume the same type of food.

Their unusual appearance has made them highly attractive to buyers in the Eid cattle market.
Sharif Hossain, director of Zakir Dairy Farm in Arankola, said the pink buffaloes have been raised with great care for the past six years as a passion project. He said the animals are bathed twice daily and fed several times a day under regular supervision. “The pink buffaloes are fully suitable for sacrifice,” he added.

Farm owner Zakir Hossain said, “The albino buffaloes at our farm are extremely rare. We collected them with great effort. The current price of the buffaloes has been set at Tk 420,000. Their exceptional beauty is the reason behind their comparatively high market value.”

Ishwardi Upazila Livestock Officer Aklima Khatun said, “A rare breed of albino buffalo is being reared at a farm in Arankola ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. These buffaloes generally enter the country through the Teknaf border area of Cox’s Bazar. Their pink colour makes them visually attractive, which is why they are in high demand in the Eid sacrificial animal market.”

Pink-coloured buffaloes are extremely rare in Bangladesh. Although a few farms in Ishwardi have been rearing such buffaloes for the past four to five years, their numbers remain very limited. Previously, Arankola Mama Krishi Farm, Alo Dairy Farm and Tanvir Dairy Farm also raised pink buffaloes. Farmers have reportedly made good profits by selling these rare animals during Eid-ul-Azha in recent years.