Calf without tail shocks Mudzidzidzi Village

What was supposed to be a bundle of joy for a small-scale cattle farmer turned into a shock when a tailless calf was born recently.

Lutanyani Nematoka (42) of Mudzidzidzi village outside Thohoyandou said like any other farmer he was very happy to notice his cow was pregnant. The prospect of an addition to his herd made him very happy, and he waited patiently for the big day. Nematoka said in a rural community the birth of a calf means a lot to them, as it means more milk for the family.

In December 2007, the much-awaited day arrived and the cow gave birth to a healthy looking calf. "There was joy in the family, as we do when a child is born in a family," he said Nematoka said they did not notice anything improper about the calf, but after a closer look, it was found not to have a tail. "We were shocked and did not know what to do as it was a very strange sight to us," he said.

The married father of four said they have been keeping cattle for many years but nothing of that nature has ever happened. "As soon as word spread in the village, people started streaming to our homestead to have a close glimpse of the calf and our home became a hive of activity within a short space of time," he said. He said they tried to keep it to themselves but those who came spread the news so fast that it became difficult to cope with the influx of curious onlookers

"This is very strange and I think a bad spell has been cast to bring bad luck to our family, but those responsible are bound to fail in their effort as we are a God-fearing family," he said. Nematoka, a staunch member of the ZCC, said if he were not a Christian of high values he would have already consulted traditional healers in order to find out what had gone wrong. "I am a man of God and nothing will stop me and disturb my faith; this will only strengthen my conviction," he said.

Nematoka said many people tried to convince him to seek traditional help but he opted to pray. Simon Gandamipfa, who is a close friend to the family, said he was very shocked to see such a calf. "Never in my life have I seen such a strange-looking animal," he said. "We are just happy that the calf has brought much attention to our village as more and more people stream to the village to see the spectacle," he said.

Mr Takalani Mudzanani, an animal health technician, said the community should not panic as this is a not a totally unheard of occurrence. "It is a very rare case, but it happens in most mammals and it will still happen, it is just a disorder," he said.

News - Date: 25 January 2008

Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

Email: