MALOLOS CITY—Results of the necropsy conducted on the two-headed calf that died eight hours after birth in Magalang, Pampanga last week showed it has single internal organ and with heart abnormality.
Experts from the Institute of Veterinary Medicine (IVM) of the Pampanga Agricultural College (PAC) in Magalang town said the two-headed calf born last July 15 had only one kidney and no other shared organs.
A staff at the college said that the two headed calf’s heart is small and with no interventricular septa.
Earlier, Dr. Rogelio Carandang of the PAC Institute of Veterinary Medicine said many local farmers think that the birth of the two headed calf is a good omen.
"Naniniwala sila na maghahatid ng suwerte sa kanilang kabuhayan ang pagsilang ng guya na dalawa ang ulo," he said.
However, as a man of science, Carandang described the birth of a two headed calf as mere teratogenic or embryonic defect.
"It’s very unusual, and it is the first time we saw something like it in Magalang," Carandang said.
He said that embryonic defect among calves usually happen during the fetal stage or during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Based on his studies, Carandang said that there are at least three factors that may have contributed to the embryonic defect.
"It could be caused by a viral infection, or by medication during pregnancy or by radiation," he said.
However, Ernie Mercado, the local farmer who own the mother carabao that gave birth to the two headed calf told experts that he had given no medication to his breeder nor it was exposed to radiation.
The two headed calf will be preserve at the PAC for future studies of students of veterinary medicine.
"Aside from the two heads, we see no other defect externally. We are excited to see the inside to know which head is actually attached to its skeleton," Carandang said noting that students of PAC will have a lot to learn from the unusual specimen.
As this developed, Crisanto Munoz, a municipal agricultural technician of Magalang that coordinates artificial insemination of large animals like cattle said that the two headed calf was born to a native carabao between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. on July 15 at Barangay San Ildefonso in Magalang town.
He said that the female two headed calf which was named "Marimar" managed to stay alive for eight hours after birth.
Marimar has four normal legs, and weighs at least 20 kilos.
"Pinasuso pa sa bote ng may ari yung guya pero hindi rin nagtagal dahil ganyan talaga ang mga may embryonic defect," he said referring to Mercado, a resident of Sitio Kabayung Sarul, Barangay San Ildefonso.
