Ultra-rare two-headed cow born terrifies local villagers after 'genetic defect'
dailystar.co.ukREAD MORE: Tourists brutally attacked by huge saltwater crocodile after swimming near luxury resort He said he and his daughter Elida Sousa, 12, have barely been able to spend time with the strange creature because its mother is so protective of her baby.Elidan said: "The cow, the mother, didn't let us get close to it.
We wanted to get the calf to suckle, to do things properly."Despite its serious defect, the calf lived for almost four full days before succumbing to the defect yesterday (Thursday, July 21).
Experts say animals with genetic abnormalities such as these are usually either stillborn or die shortly after birth.Elidan told local media: "We informed vets, but we were unable to take it.
We were going to do it this afternoon, so they could look at it, but the calf died beforehand."Professor and vet Jefferson Filgueira Alcindo said the genetic mutation is called "dicephaly".He explained that while it is possible for animals to be born with dicephaly even if their parents aren't related, "the probability increases when there is inbreeding".When it is not a result of inbreeding, dicephaly is caused by factors in the environment - these can be the use of certain anti-worm medicines, ingesting toxic plants, mineral deficiencies, and some viruses, such as the bovine viral diarrhoea virus.This isn't the first mutant animal to make headlines recently.
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