Two-legged calf shocks villagers in Kakamega
A woman, 53, in Kakamega County was busy working on the farm in Nanganda village when she received startling news.
Ms Zainab Makokha had left home early to go and weed on a neighbour’s farm early in the morning on Friday last week. The mother of eight works as a casual labourer to earn some money and support her family.
While she was busy working, she saw her daughter running towards her, panting. She got worried and stopped what she was doing.
“My daughter looked worried and struggled to catch her breath before she broke the news. I had feared that something wrong had happened at home but she gave startling news,” said Ms Makokha
Ms Makokha owns a cow that calved while she was away, working on her neighbour’s farm.
The cow delivered a calf without the front limbs.
“The cow had been in labour and calved without any problems. But the calf had only two legs and cannot move. I have never seen this in my life, this a very strange phenomenon,” said Ms Makokha.
The incident has left villagers in shock. Those who visited her home to marvel at the calf said what had happened was strange.
Some villagers are attributing the incident to witchcraft and have asked Ms Makokha to get rid of the calf.
But she has stood her ground, saying she will do her best to support it.
“The only challenge I have is to look after the calf and ensure its feeding properly since it cannot move around like other normal calves,” said Ms Makokha.
Dr Joseph Musaa, a retired veterinary officer said the deformities had been caused by genetic factors and should not be ascribed to witchcraft.
“This happens even to human beings. During genetic transformations, something goes wrong along the way disrupting the process,” said Dr Musaa.
He said there will be challenges in rearing the calf and feeding it.
“This means, the owner has to feed the calf and closely monitor it but there will be economic factors to be taken into consideration including the cost of maintaining the animal. It’s because of this that the owner should consider getting rid of the calf since there will be no expected return from the investment,” said Dr Musaa. BY DAILY NATION
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