Seven-Legged Lamb Born In New Zealand

A lamb born at a veterinary clinic on New Zealand is unlike any other newborn - it has seven legs.

The animal has three hind legs, one of them with two hoofs. It walks using its two forelegs and three hind legs. And two of the extra legs hang useless behind the lamb's forelegs.

The lamb was born last Friday on the farm of Dave and Di Callaghan. Dave Callaghan says he was surprised to find the seven-legged creature, born with a twin, walking round in the paddock with its mother and normal twin sibling.

"I have never seen anything like that," he says.

Veterinarian Steve Williams at the clinic in the rural town Methven said he believes an error during embryo formation resulted in the lamb being born with many legs - a condition that occurs once in several million sheep. The lamb was also hermaphrodite, and was missing a part of its bowel so was unable to pass faeces.

He says it was this latter problem, rather than the fact it had seven legs, that meant it would probably have to be destroyed.

"It's quite a happy bright wee lamb, he's just slowly going downhill really. To keep it alive is probably inhumane really."

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