Baringo residents in Kibias are still in shock after a sheep gave birth to a human-like creature, sending shockwaves across the entire County on how degrading the human they guess to have been involved must be.
Unknown to most unenlightened populations is that human DNA is more complicated and cannot fertilize any creature apart from a fellow human.
Recent case
The image of the human-like creature from the sheep was circulated all over social media, with some cultured folks spitting over the despicable news, terming it a curse, some a message from God.
Others took to social media to denounce the act that would result in such, and even others speculated why whoever was involved would have done the unimaginable act of mating with an animal.
While sexual assault, be it rape, sodomy, or harassment, can leave humans traumatized and emotionally damaged to the core, we would not even want to be near the offender during trials as that would create more tension and trauma.
Humans can always run to a physiotherapist, friend, family, or people we confide in. Unfortunately for animals, it is worse. You would not wish to imagine how the innocent creatures cope.
What the law says, past scenarios
According to the Kenyan Constitution 2010, Penal Code chapter 63 section 162(b), bestiality is a crime that will have one imprisoned for 14 years if found guilty.
In Baringo County over the years, in 2014 at Kabasis in Baringo Central, a youth was found in the act with a sheep; he was arrested, charged, and jailed.
In 2018, a 25-year-old at Tinet-Sawich forest in Eldama Ravine sub-county, a man was found in the act with a cow, and his excuse was that he preferred the cow and had been engaging in the act for a while because the women have HIV.
The people lynched the offender to death.
In 2021, a 20-year-old was caught sexually assaulting a cow at Kinyach in Bartabwa ward Baringo North sub-county.
Unfortunately, despite his arrest, the elders negotiated his release after a few strokes.
While some recent cases have had the perpetrators out on bond for whatever reasons, society is left scared and more alert and keen on their children and animals.
What does science say about it?
The human-like sheep has sparked debates amongst many, but how many would take time to reason scientifically?
According to Dr. Kiptum Desmond, a County Directorate Veterinary Service (CDVS) officer in Baringo, the sheep might not have even been sexually assaulted by a man.
Animals have congenital malformations while pregnant, the same as humans. It is nothing new; thus, the population should be made aware that such issues affect animals too.
“There are congenital anomalies which are genetic mutation. These situations where people adopt ideas and start creating enmity between neighbors over scientifically responsible issues should stop.
Such can lead to a certain hated person in the community being targeted, and the person can even be lynched. Our people should stop being ignorant,” says Dr. Desmond.
He says congenital anomalies are not very common and yet are not documented. Most such births occur prematurely and are aborted because the fetus becomes mummified and dies in the womb.
“…that is why some of the animals are born with eight limbs and one head, others with bigger foreheads. The factors that cause such genetic prepositioning or genetic mutations can be the food eaten by the animals, it might have chemicals in it, or the farmer deworming the animal while it was in its early pregnancy stage or even some drugs administered to the animal while sick affect the fetal growth,” he adds.
Of congenital malformation
But what is Congenital Malformation? It is common in small animals, especially where breeding happens.
Some have argued that it occurs when there is a ram that breeds within the sheep over and over again.
Same as humans, the African culture is that no human should marry their relatives. This is to avoid such congenital malformation; no one is even allowed to marry from their clan. Thus, society should be taught to stop inbreeding.
While some animals survive, society views them differently, while others see it as a bad sign and a message from God concerning the transgression of the land.
He says such animals, when they survive, are supposed to be taken to a rescue center, just like it is happening in Kitale and in Haller Park, Mombasa, among other animal rescue centers.
“It is high time Baringo County embraces such, either through partnership to have the animals rescued, because it is not their fault, they are how they are. These animals need care; even individual initiatives towards attaining such is encouraged,” he explains.
In science, there are no two species that can reproduce apart from the horse and the donkey.
The two can mate and give birth to a mule, yet the mule will be unproductive for as long as it lives.
Thus, it is clear that a man cannot impregnate a sheep. That is why Artificial Insemination (AI) is there, to control and minimize congenital malformations.
In artificial insemination, selected semen from specific bulls is kept and recorded to ensure that inbreeding does not occur.
This is evident with the Soviet experiments in the 1920s, where AI was attempted on female chimpanzees and human sperm, but the outcome was unfruitful.
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While bestiality is to be called out, society is blaming it on the frustrations all over economic situations, evil, end of the world; the worst is that others think their animals have such an experience by being bewitched.
Masterpiece
Very informative article 👏👏👏