claim: A half-human, half-lamb was born in South Africa.
origin: Many rumors aboutÂ strange creatures likeÂ cyclops or human-animal hybrids,Â can be traced back to one sad but common occurrence: An animal with a birth defect. That was the case in June 2017 when a series of photographs showing a deformed lamb appeared on social media with sensational (and sometimes nonsensical) titles likeÂ â€œAlleged sheep gives birth to a human lambâ€ and â€œâ€˜Half-humanâ€™ lamb in South Africa terrifies both locals and the internetâ€œ: The lamb in this photograph was born dead in the Eastern Cape of South Africa near theÂ Lady Frere area. Although locals were surprised by the animalâ€™s appearance and reportedly worriedÂ that it was the result of bestiality, theÂ Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform confirmed to local media that these photographs simply showed a deformed stillborn lamb. Chief Director of Veterinary Services, Dr Lubabalo Mrwebi, said in a statement that theÂ theÂ animal likely suffered from a disease called Rift Valley Fever, the South African newspaper Sowetan Live reported: < Dr Lubabalo Mrwebi the departmentâ€™s Chief Director of Veterinary Services said it was not uncommon for pregnant animals to be infected by viruses early in their pregnancy. â€œWe call on the local community not to panic over this deformed lamb. We can confirm that this deformed lamb is not a progeny of sheep ovum and a human sperm. â€œVirus infections in early stages of pregnancy may infect the foetus and lead to the development of malformations in the growing foetus. It is likely that this is what happened to the Lady Frere sheepâ€šâ€ Mrwebi said. Â > Mrwebi also explained that it was impossible forÂ bestiality to result in some sort of human-hybrid creature: < â€œIt is worth noting that a sheep has 28 pairs of chromosomes; a goat has 30 pairs; while humans have 23 pairs. These facts are important in dispelling the myth that a union of a sheep ovum and a human sperm can lead to a development of a viable life form. The deformed lamb exhibits signs that are consistent with an early foetal development that went wrong as a result of a viral infection.â€ > This isnâ€™t the first rumor about a half-human hybrid. Weâ€™ve previously debunked rumors about human-dogs (actually aÂ sculpture), human-gorillas (actually a doctored image), and human-goats (actually a deformed goat). But bestiality does not produce human-animal hybrids: :