Superstitious villagers have been living in fear since a sheep gave birth to this creature that was said by elders to be half-human half-beast and ‘sent by the devil’.
Many of the 4,000 residents and farmers of Lady Frere in Eastern Province, South Africa, were convinced that bestiality and witchcraft had led to the birth of the creature.
The panic got so great that the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development sent out experts to carry out tests after pictures of it spread like wildfire through the community.
Superstitious villagers have been gripped by fear following the birth of a creature, initially believed to be half-human half-beast and ‘sent by the devil,’ from a sheep in Lady Frere. Chief Director of Veterinary Services Dr. Lubabalo Mrwebi clarified that, although the severely deformed lamb appeared human-like at first glance, it was not part human.
Dr. Mrwebi confirmed the authenticity of the photo, explaining that the lamb, born dead, was a result of a sheep’s pregnancy affected by Rift Valley Fever. He emphasized the genetic disparity, noting that sheep have 28 pairs of chromosomes, while humans have 23 pairs, dispelling the myth of a viable life form from a union of a sheep ovum and a human sperm.
Residents and farmers in Lady Frere, South Africa, believed that bestiality and witchcraft caused the birth of a deformed lamb among the 4,000 inhabitants. However, Chief Director of Veterinary Services Dr. Lubabalo Mrwebi dismissed these claims, attributing the deformity to a viral infection during the sheep’s early fetal development.
Dr. Mrwebi clarified that the sheep was conceived in late December 2016 or early January 2017, during a period of abundant rainfall that facilitated the transmission of the Rift Valley Fever (RVF) virus by mosquitoes and midges. He explained that the RVF virus infected the sheep’s developing fetus, leading to its deformity, resembling a human form but devoid of any human components. Dr. Mrwebi emphasized that the photo was not a hoax, confirming the scientific explanation behind the lamb’s condition.
Chief Director of Veterinary Services Dr Lubabalo Mrwebi admitted that at first glance the lamb which was born dead did resemble a human being but was not part human
The department’s veterinary officials is conducting a post-mortem and its results will be communicated to the public who are fearful in the remote area that witchcraft is at play.
A villager was quoted as saying: ‘The elders when they saw it said it was sent by the devil and was born after a coupling between a man and a sheep and then there was panic.
‘Many people are afraid and will not be happy until it is burned’ he said.