A case of 4-year-old Female sheep-Goat Hybrid Born Under Natural Conditions in Namibia

This article reports a 4 year old female sheep x goat interspecific hybrid born under natural conditions in Namibia. Repetitive DNA sequencing using microsatellite markers was used to confirm the hybrid. Morphological characteristics of the sheep-goat hybrid had higher parameters in terms of heart girth, height at withers and trunk length compared to other animals in the flock. The weight of hybrid was 74 kg while the weight of its dam, a goat doe, was 42 kg and the possible sire, a sheep ram, weighed 51 kg. The hybrid had long and thick tail, a head resembling a sheep whereas its skin, horns, and teats were like those of a goat and its legs were relatively long. The hybrid conceived on two occasions with a buck, but aborted at about 4 months into the pregnancy. The hybrid in terms of body weight and dimensions was bigger than common goats and sheep found in the rural livestock traditional farming area of the region possibly indicating hybrid vigour. The hybrid’s large size brings hope about need of more research and breeding and the possibility towards cloning of such animals using nuclear transfer technology for increased meat production in future. The authors believe this is the first documented report of a sheep-goat hybrid from Namibia, and third in Africa, that lived normally for a long time to full adulthood and even conceived, even though the conceptus was aborted.