Portents and signs: Mutant pig born in Scotland

The piglet was born with a deformed face

    

A piglet has been born in Scotland with a 'human face' and a 'penis' on its forehead - just days after the same genetic mutation was found on a Chinese pig.

The animal who had a deformed face and snout, was born at a Scottish farm but is thought to have died at birth.

A farmer in China, was mobbed by crowds after his pig gave birth to a similar looking piglet, which was described as having a 'penis on its face'. The piglet, which later died, was said to have been part of a bizarre bidding war.

Staff at the farm, who don't want to be identified, have said that they have never seen such a serious deformity on a piglet, and although defects were not unlikely in high volumes of piglets, this is the rarest they have ever seen.

A stockman, who didn't want to be named, said: "When I went in this morning I seen it lying there and I immediately thought 'I've seen that in the paper', I wanted people to see that these things happen in Scotland too.

"It is very rare and no one here has ever seen anything like it before. The piglet was part of a litter of ten and the rest were fine, it probably died at birth and wouldn't have been able to suckle from its mother.

"I don't know if the pig in China would have been alive at all, as it wouldn't have been able to feed.

"At any one time there can be 19 litters of piglets, so you do get some with deformities, but nothing like this."