Islamabad: A two-headed buffalo calf which was recently born at a dairy farm in Karachi.
The Lucky Foods dairy farm owner did not expect it to live longer but it is still going strong.
“A two-headed calf! I did not believe it when the farm manager gave me the news on the phone. I rushed to the farm to see the calf. Upon touching it, I was surprised to see that its one head was cold and the other was a bit hot,” said Salman Mamnoon Hussain, CEO of the dairy.
The calf has one body, two heads, four eyes, two mouths, two noses and four ears as the result of a rare condition called polycephaly in which an animal is born with more than one head.
In a video shared on Facebook, the farm owner termed the birth of the two-headed buffalo on September 27 “a miracle”. “It is well alive and breathing through nostrils on both heads.”
However, the calf is unable to lift its head or stand on its legs as the heads are too heavy. It is currently being bottle fed. “The farm vets are taking care of the calf. We thought he would not survive for a day but he has survived till now.”
“I would like to see him live, and see him get up and walk and function,” Salman Hussain said.
Thousands of people viewed and shared the video online in amazement and wading into debate.
Shocked onlooker Ahmad Munib, shared the photo of the two-headed calf online, calling it a wonder. “I did not believe it is true until I saw the video. It is totally shocking that the calf is real.” While some termed it a miracle, others on social media, called it a bad omen for the farm.
What is Polycephaly?
Animals suffering from polycephaly have two separate functioning brains. Each head controls separate organs and limbs. The condition is caused due to the embryo beginning to split into twins then stopping midway. This causes the twins to remain attached to each other even after birth.
The animals with polycephaly rarely survive for more than a few months.
