Cow gives birth to hippo-like calf

By Maureen Odiwuor

Residents of Katuoro in Nyalenda Estate recently got shocked when a cow gave birth to a mysterious animal.

When Crazy Monday visited the scene, the newly born ‘calf’ had died and the owner was preparing to bury it as a perplexed crowd gathered to have a glimpse of the strange creature.

The owner of the animal did not talk much, although he received unwarranted fame, as the incident became the talk of Kisumu town. Instead, he concentrated his efforts on nursing his cow, evidently perplexed at the turn of events.

Fright

Eyewitnesses suspect the strange calf’s death might have resulted from mishandling because of the fright by those who helped its mother to deliver.

They fled the scene immediately they saw it as some felt like vomiting at the site of the ugly creature while others swore not to eat meat for a couple of days.

The ‘calf’ had a black face that partly resembled a human or a cow depending on the angle you looked at it. Its body was structured like that of a hippopotamus, and not a normal calf. The body was also silky soft and viscous and seemed not to have bones, making handling it quite a challenge.  Curiosity led some to touch it even as other bystanders retched.

Alfred Bala, a resident of the estate, said he had never seen anything like that and is convinced it is a bad omen, a curse.

“In the olden days such incidences were unheard of. This is a sign that the end of the world is afoot. We need to repent,” said Bala.

But Catherine Achieng, another resident, blamed ocurence on the strange things that the cattle in Nyalenda — a slum on the fringes of Kisumu town — eat.

Medical waste

“These animals in Nyalenda graze even during the night. They eat from garbage sites, which could even have medical waste. Maybe that could be a cause of such strange happenings,” she said.

George Oluoch said it is not possible for an animal to give birth to something different from its species unless it mated with the animals whose forms were represented in the outcome.

Human

In the recent past, animals in the coastal region have given birth to strange looking creatures, some bearing human facial characteristics, causing wags to suggest that human beings could have fathered the strange creatures.