If you are a long-time reader of ours, then you already know that we are obsessed with animals—we’re pretty much into anything with paws, fins, and even floppy ears. And, while we love to sing the praises of run-of-the-mill domestic pets, we often find ourselves beguiled by more unlikely creatures.
That’s why we’re sharing with you a video that is literally blowing people’s minds all over the world. It stars a baby goat that has a condition that is so rare, you probably thought that it only existed in ancient myths.
Meet the ‘Cyclops Kid’, a baby goat that was born just last month in a rural village in Assam, India. This little guy is pretty unique, and not just because he has one eye.
You see, this baby animal came into the world carrying a condition called cyclopia, a malady that is so serious, it is considered to be an instant death sentence. But where similar animals with the disease have only lived for hours, he has managed to stick it out and thrive for weeks!
This goat’s curious disorder
As it turns out, cyclopia is not as uncommon as you may have originally thought it to be. The disorder affects approximately 1 in 16,000 live animal births. The ailment is present not only in goats, but also horses, pigs, cows, cats, sharks, and even ancient dwarf elephants.
Animals that are born with cyclopia have one separate eye cavity instead of two. It varies from case to case, but some of these sufferers either have one eyeball or are left with two that have been fused together in the womb.
On top of carrying the appearance of just one eye, many of these animals don’t have eyelids, eyelashes, or even noses. Goats with cyclopia will also oftentimes have very thin lips, which may be covering a mouthful of absent teeth.
Believe it or not, the syndrome actually has been found to exist in humans, as well. It’s been shown to occur in 1 in 100,000 births and miscarriages and, sadly, is described by a medical journal as being “incompatible with life.”
This creature isn’t just considered to be remarkable just for its mere existence, local villagers are doing their best to keep the animal safe as they believe it to be sacred. We’ve gotta say that we definitely side with the locals on this one—the goat’s so mystifying that we would do everything we could to protect him, too!
Though it’s only natural, at first, to be taken aback by the young goat’s odd appearance, we admit that we think this kid is pretty darn cute. To see footage of this miracle creature in action for yourself, be sure to click on the video below. What a special animal!
What do you think of this one-eyed goat? Have you ever seen one of these in real life? Have you ever come across any other animals with cyclopia? Tell us all about your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below!