Sheep have been used in a lot of figurative terms. We’ve all counted sheep when we couldn’t get a minute of shuteye. Our mothers have warned us to not be sheep-like followers in the form of, “If everyone jumped off a cliff, would you?!” And lest we forget to avoid wolves in sheep’s clothing.
But one sheep cannot be called a mindless follower. MSN reports that a Chinese farmer discovered a two-legged lamb last month. Cui Jinxiu, from Laizhou in the Shandong province, watched as one of her flock gave birth to two lambs. The first was completely healthy, but the second had only two limbs.
“I thought of dumping it after it was born,” she said. “But the next morning it even stood up by itself.”
A tenacious little fella, the lamb continues to survive with Cui’s help. She feeds him with a baby bottle.
“It is very strong willed and brave,” she said. “Although only having two legs it is living normally as other lambs. He may only have two legs but he gets around very quickly and is pretty steady on his feet. He follows me everywhere, and I haven’t got the heart to slaughter him.”
Veterinarians have cited the missing couple of limbs as either a birth defect or a result of chemical pollution.
“He doesn’t mind,” Cui added. “He has such a friendly personality, and I don’t think he even realizes he’s disabled.”
Photo by Duchamp via Flickr.
