A mutant piglet has bizarrely been welcomed as the bringer of good fortune after it was born with an elephant -like trunk on its forehead.
The strange looking creature was born as one-of-a-kind of a litter of 12, on Friday in Gahit, on the island of Negros in the Philippines.
For those who couldn't believe that such an animal was born, video footage has been released.
It shows the hybrid pig-elephant with a long snout-like appendage growing out of its forehead, while a second snout is visible in the normal position.
While images of the baby show it has the normal characteristic features of a pig - including trotters, a snout, and being bright pink in colour, there are other questionable qualities.
The mutant animal's tongue is freakishly seen sticking out of its mouth, while its bright blue eyes bulge out of its head - resembling more a fish than a hoofed mammal.
The woman whose sow gave birth to the piglet says she was stunned by the sight of it.
Speaking of her shock, Dailyn Delada Desabille, 18, said: “We were all shocked that its face was like that.
“It looks like an elephant with a snout on its forehead, its two eyes are close together and its feet are big like an elephant’s.
“I was surprised and pitied it.”
However, despite this she decided to share the photos of the mutant piglet online, after being told the creature could bring good fortune, with Dailyn adding: “They say it’s lucky because of the piglet’s strange face".
Tragically, the newborn wasn't so fortunate enough as it only survived a short while.
“It was only 30 minutes before it died,” said Dailyn. “It died because he couldn't breathe properly.”
The devastated 18-year-old said she couldn't think of a reason as to why the piglet - a female born to a healthy mother - should have died.
Deformities in animals however can sometimes be down to genetics, nutritional issues, poisoning, infectious agents or abnormal metabolism, according to a trade publication, The Pig Site.
Following the death of the piglet, the student decided to bury her.
This is however not the first case of a mutant birth in thePhilippines
Recently, in July, Michael Severino was surprised when his cat delivered a kitten with a monkey-like face.
Speaking about the birth, the 23-year-old, who lives on Mindanao island, said: “It looks like an alien, some say it looks like a Teletubby.
“Some say it looks like a minion from the Despicable Me movie.”
