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Villagers have been flocking to Kagaa farm in Kakunjuni, Kilifi county since Saturday night for a glimpse at a goat’s kid with two heads.
The kid (pictured above) has four eyes, two sets of nostrils, two mouths and two ears.
The jaws of the two heads are connected such that when the kid is given excess milk through one mouth it spills through the other.
“All other features are alright,” said owner Kahaso Ngumbao.
Ngumbao said the nanny goat was assisted to deliver after showing signs of difficulty.
“At around 8pm we saw two heads coming out. We thought it was giving birth to twins,” Ngumbao said.
He noted that 13 of the goat’s 15 deliveries were of twins.
“It is only last year that it gave birth to one kid. We have known it to give birth to twins but this is the first time we are seeing this rare birth,” he said.
Ngumbao said he will keep the kid despite neighbour’s advice.
“Some people are saying this is a bad omen and that I should kill it, but unless it dies on its own, I am not ready to kill it,” he said.
Kilifi North subcounty veterinary officer Jack Omolo said the deformity was caused by the incomplete separation of cells while the kid developed.
“We have received such incidents before. This is a development problem where genes that separate identical twins are not well coded. This is not witchcraft as many say. It is something that can be explained biologically,” Omolo said
He said the survival of the kid depends on whether its body parts are fully developed.
Kilifi county veterinary director Donald Kitti said the goat would not be productive if it survived.
– See more at: The Star