A farmer has been left in shock after one of her goats gave birth to what looked like a mystifying half-pig half-human creature at a small farm in southern Philippines.
Josephine Repique, 40, says one of her goats went into labour earlier this month, pushing out two babies - one of which "looked like a pig, with a mix of human".
- The 'majestic headless chicken monster': Bizarre creature spotted in Southern Ocean for the first time
- Satellites help predict disease outbreaks
- The UK's most bizarre animal rescues
Unfortunately, both babies died shortly after the birth, prompting fears among local villagers that the creature might be a "cursed mutant devil".
A vet was called in to perform a caesarean section, and removed one healthy baby - however, when the other one was pulled out, it immediately turned heads.
The bizarre creature, much larger than its sibling, had seemingly shiny pink skin, trotters likes a pig and a belly button similar to a human's.
"Nobody knows what it is, but it's not a goat. It's scary. We're all wondering why it happened and if it's bad luck," Ms Repique said.
The Daily Mail reports that Dr Agapita Salces from the Institute of Animal Science of the University of the Philippines believes the rare case stems from a genetic mutation in the mother's womb.
He says it may have contracted "a disease called Rift Valley fever from mosquito bites and this caused the impaired development of the infant".
According to the World Health Organization, Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is a viral zoonosis that largely affects animals but also had the capability of infecting humans.
It is also stated that transmissions of RVF within humans result from direct or indirect contact with blood of infected animals or during the handling of slaughtering, assisting with animal births or veterinary procedures.
In its most recent case, five people have reportedly died after being infected with RVF in Kenya after an outbreak killed more than 200 people in 2006.
Newshub.
