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14th May 2021

Rare three-eyed cow born on farm in Wales will sadly still be eaten

Sarah McKenna Barry

The discovery was made earlier this week.

Earlier this week, a vet came across a calf born with three eyes on a farm in Wales.

Malan Hughes was testing cattle for TB when she made the discovery on a beef farm in Brynmawr in North Wales.

She shared a snap of the rare calf on Twitter.

“Can’t quite believe what we spotted today,” she wrote. “Anyone else ever seen one?”

Hughes spoke to the Wales Daily Post about the discovery.

“Vets tend to see all sorts of things—cyclops lambs and animals born with two heads—but I have never seen anything like this before.

“From the outside, the extra eye looks fine. It has eyelids and eyelashes, and it is moist too, as if some kind of lubricant is being secreted.”

She added that while the calf’s eyes looked healthy, it is “impossible to know if anything is going on behind the eye.”

Hughes told the publication that the third eye is likely to be the result of a developmental anomaly that occurred before it was born.

“It does not act any differently from any other calf,” she said. “As a veterinary practice, we will certainly be treating it with the same care we give every animal.”

Despite this quirk, the calf, who has been nicknamed ‘Isaiah’, is still destined for slaughter.

A spokesperson for the National Farmers Union issued a statement to Yahoo News on the rare case:

“Our chief livestock adviser had not heard of this before, so presume it’s very rare and a result of genetic issue or problem when the cells were dividing in the embryo. As rule we see very few abnormalities in cattle. They assume there will be no welfare issues and the animal will grow normally.”

While additional eyes are rare in cows, Isaiah is not alone. In recent years, a calf born with three eyes in Tamil Nedu was worshiped by villagers.

This calf was named in honour of Lord Shiva, a Hindu god who is depicted as having a third eye.

Imagery via Twitter.