Attraction Raja Babu

A 2094-kg (52 maunds) bull named 'Raja Babu' is drawing visitors from far and near to Baraid village in Saturia upazila under the district.

“The three-year-and-10-month-old bull weighs 2094 kg. It is six feet and six inches high, eight feet long, its chest fence is ten feet, neck fence five feet, face three feet and two inches, the horns are one foot long and the tail is four feet and three inches long,” said Saturia Upazila Livestock Officer Dr Md Salim Jahan.

“So far as I know, this is the biggest bull in the country,” said Salim, who measured the bull on July 27.

Two years ago, Khairul Islam bought the then 18-maund bull for Tk 4.80 lakh from Barahirchar in Savar, he said during this correspondent's visit on July 25.

“After rearing it for one year, the bull weighed 39 maunds during the last Eid-ul-Azha. I did not sell it although I was offered Tk 14.50 lakh. The bull now weighs 52 maunds and I expect to sell it for Tk 22 lakh before the Eid,” he said.

Khairul's wife Porishkar Begum said, “The bull is bathed four to five times a day. An electric fan is run to keep it cool. If the electricity is off, it has to be fanned with hand fan. There are three other bulls and four cows in our farm.”

“The bull eats foods worth around Tk 2,000 daily. These include bananas, malta, orange, chira, molasses, hay and grass. The bull looks like a king and eats like a king. That is why I named it Raja Babu,” said Khairul's daughter Eti Akter.

“After passing the SSC, I took three months' training on 'livestock, poultry rearing, primary health care, fisheries and agriculture' at Savar's Sheikh Hasina Youth Development Center in 2017,” she said.

People from different areas including Dhaka  come to see the cow.

“I never saw such a big cow,” said Imran Khan of Singha-ragi village in Delduar upazila of Tangail, who has a small cattle farm.

“I have uploaded photos and video footage of that cow on my Facebook group (fb.com/gorurhaat) and on YouTube Goru Hat so that the farmer can sell the cow from his house at a fair price,” said Aminul Islam, administrator of the Facebook group.

Before Eid-ul-Azha two years ago, Khairul sold his 34-maund cow 'Lakshmi Sona' for Tk 14 lakh at Gulshan in the capital.