News / International
Sheep gives birth to human-like creature
23 Jun 2017 at 13:18hrs | Views
Superstitious villagers have been living in fear since a sheep gave birth to a creature that was said by elders to be a half-human half-beast and 'sent by the devil'.
Many of the 4,000 residents and farmers of Lady Frere in Eastern Province, South Africa, were convinced that bestiality and witchcraft had led to the birth of the creature.
The panic led to the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development sending out experts to carry out tests after pictures of it spread through the community.
Chief Director of Veterinary Services Dr Lubabalo Mrwebi admitted that at first glance the lamb which was born dead did resemble a human being but was not part human.
Dr Mrwebi said: 'We can confirm this not a hoax photo but that the severely deformed lamb was born by a sheep in Lady Frere this week which at a glance resembles a human form.
'It is not however human but a deformed stillborn lamb sired by a sheep and was subsequently infected by a Rift Valley Fever at an early stage of its pregnancy.
'It is worth noting that a sheep has 28 pairs of chromosomes while humans have 23 pairs which is important in dispelling the myth that a union of a sheep ovum and a human sperm can lead to a development of a viable life form.
'The deformed lamb exhibits signs that are consistent with an early foetal development that went wrong as a result of a viral infection and nothing more' he said.
The department's veterinary officials is conducting a post-mortem and its results will be communicated to the public who are fearful in the remote area that witchcraft is at play.
A villager was quoted as saying: 'The elders when they saw it said it was sent by the devil and was born after a coupling between a man and a sheep and then there was panic.
'Many people are afraid and will not be happy until it is burned' he said.
Many of the 4,000 residents and farmers of Lady Frere in Eastern Province, South Africa, were convinced that bestiality and witchcraft had led to the birth of the creature.
The panic led to the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development sending out experts to carry out tests after pictures of it spread through the community.
Chief Director of Veterinary Services Dr Lubabalo Mrwebi admitted that at first glance the lamb which was born dead did resemble a human being but was not part human.
Dr Mrwebi said: 'We can confirm this not a hoax photo but that the severely deformed lamb was born by a sheep in Lady Frere this week which at a glance resembles a human form.
'It is not however human but a deformed stillborn lamb sired by a sheep and was subsequently infected by a Rift Valley Fever at an early stage of its pregnancy.
'It is worth noting that a sheep has 28 pairs of chromosomes while humans have 23 pairs which is important in dispelling the myth that a union of a sheep ovum and a human sperm can lead to a development of a viable life form.
'The deformed lamb exhibits signs that are consistent with an early foetal development that went wrong as a result of a viral infection and nothing more' he said.
The department's veterinary officials is conducting a post-mortem and its results will be communicated to the public who are fearful in the remote area that witchcraft is at play.
A villager was quoted as saying: 'The elders when they saw it said it was sent by the devil and was born after a coupling between a man and a sheep and then there was panic.
'Many people are afraid and will not be happy until it is burned' he said.
Source - Daily Mail
