Some farmers have been left baffled after one of their cows gave birth to a “two-headed mutant calf”. The creature was born on the farm in the Brazilian municipality of Nova Venecia in the state of Espirito Santo and it is currently unable to stand up or feed naturally.
Delci Busatto, the son of the calf’s owner, disclosed to local media that the mutant calf lives on the family’s farm and has trouble feeding from its mother and needs to be fed from a bottle.
“The calf is very debilitated. It has to lie down and cannot get up. Because it can’t stand up, the calf has to be fed from a bottle. We bring it some milk in a feeding bottle to drink”.
Delci Busatto
Delci Busatto explained that the family have sought an expert opinion from a vet, but the veterinary doctor himself did not seem to know what could have caused the calf to be born with two heads.
“We have talked to some vets, but no one has any answers as to whether it will survive or not. For now, it is just a matter of waiting and seeing what happens”.
Delci Busatto
Per reports, the calf was the cow’s third offspring, and the other two were born normally. The family at the farm were aware that the cow, aged around six, was due to give birth. When Busatto went to the barn on that fateful night, he was shocked to find that the calf had two heads.
Meanwhile, there have been mixed reactions on social media. While some were shocked about the situation, others found the phenomenon very normal. Some comments from social media users read:
@Buenos noted: “This is double money for the owner. In some parts of the world, a cow’s head costs a lot of money. So, if you have double head why are you bothered. Sell it and make more money”.
@Kipepo also said: “They should hand it over to local government. Then a surgery will be performed to separate the animal. I mean, isn’t that what we do to humans?”
@Emmanuel_lash: “They are conjoined twins”.
@Gold Machete also opined: “Indians will worship this if they see it”.
@Priyanka shared: “First of all, that does not look like a calf, secondly even humans are born conjoined so why can’t animals?”
It is to be noted that there have been quite a number of mutants born calves. In a more recent case, a mutant newborn calf with two heads, six legs and two tails, was born in Turkey last month.
The strange creature was stillborn in the rural neighborhood of Bahcearasi in the district of Cine, during the early hours of November, 7, 2021. A man who was identified as Erdem Celik, discovered the calf when he noticed that one of his cows was having difficulty giving birth.
According to some experts, one reason for genetic abnormalities is a change in the genome, often caused by the animal’s external and internal environment. Mutations can be caused by certain mutagenic influences, artificial conditions, and sometimes crossbreeding.
A veterinarian, Daniel Ribeiro Camargos, once told local media that the cause of mutations in calves could be as a result of crossbreeding.
“A case of inbreeding can cause a calf to be born with the anomaly. It is a very rare situation”.
Delci Busatto
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