Lamb born with seven legs in New Zealand

The lamb was born six days ago Two of the extra legs hang useless behind the lamb's forelegs. The animal has three hind legs, one of them with two hoofs. It walks using its two forelegs and three hind legs

The lamb was born last Friday on the farm of Dave and Di Callaghan. MrCallaghan said he was surprised to find the seven-legged creature, born with a twin, walking round in the paddock with its mother and normal twin sibling. "I have never seen anything like that," he said

Although the six-day old bleats like a healthy animal, its abnormalities mean it is unlikely to survive.

Veterinarian Steve Williams at the Canterbury Vets clinic in the rural town of Methven said he believed an error during embryo formation had resulted in the lamb being born polydactyl — with many legs — a condition that occurs once in several million sheep.

He said the lamb was also hermaphrodite and missing a portion of its bowel so was unable to pass faeces and would have to be destroyed.

"To keep it alive is probably inhumane really," Mr Williams told the Ashburton Guardian newspaper.

There was no word on whether any of the legs would find their way onto a dinner plate.