A TERRIFYING baby goat was born with a single huge eye in Assam, India – baffling local villagers.
Vets predicted that the kid, which was born last week and also has only one ear, would die within a few days – but he has defied expectations to live.
The condition which causes this defect is called cyclopia.
A rare anomaly, it occurs during development in the womb when the two hemispheres of the brain do not separate.
This leads to the formation of a single central cavity with one eye, or sometimes fused eyeballs.
The eyelashes, eyelids and nose are all absent too.
The upper and lower lips are unusually small, and the upper jaw is short and many of the goat’s teeth are missing.
A large number of people have been visiting the village to see the goat.
According to the villagers, the goat is said to be sacred, with some locals beginning to worship the new arrival.
The goat’s owner, Mukhuri Das said: “I was shocked. It’s like a miracle and people have been coming to our place to see this baby goat.”
The owner immediately called vets to check on his new arrival.
He said: “They told me it will die in a few days but that was not true.”
A villager who had come to see the baby goat said: “I thought it’s a lie, but I was shocked to see the goat with a single eye.”
Mukhuri said: “It’s my responsibility to take care of the baby goat. I have been feeding him like a normal goat.”
“It might be something from God that the baby goat was born in our house.”
Mukhuri also believes that the kid will bring luck to his home.
He said: “So many people are coming to our place to see this baby goat. We are happy that it’s making us famous.”
Cyclopia has been reported in other animals, including horses, pigs, cows, cats and even dusky sharks.
Earlier this month a mutant piglet stunned experts after being born with no hair and an ‘elephant trunk’ on its face.
A farmer, named only as Li, was shocked when his mother pig gave birth to the deformed beast along with around 20 normal piglets.
