Gladys Kalibbala
5 July 2009
Kampala — A BULL with a fifth leg attached to its back attracted curious visitors to the Makerere University Faculty of Veterinary stall at the Buganda Tourism Expo at Lubiri in Kampala on Thursday.
The bull, which looks and behaves normally, also has two anuses, the second attached to the extra leg. The second anus only produces a watery milk-like fluid.
According to Joelia Nassaka, a lecturer at the faculty, the additional leg is a case of parasitic conjoined twins.
"These animals were supposed to be identical twins but somehow the embryo failed to divide at the right time, leaving only one of them to grow properly," Nassaka explained.
Nassaka said there was no reason to operate the bull and remove the fifth leg since it was normal. The bull is also too old at 18 months to be operated upon.
The Ankole long-horned castrated bull bought from an abattoir in Soroti district two years ago, is used for research.
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