A farm in the Republic of Ireland has seen the birth of a rare, hybrid animal that is part goat and part sheep, BBC News reported.
Referred to as a geep, the animal was born after a goat and one of the sheep framer's Cheviot ewes mated two weeks ago on Paddy Murphy's farm in County Kildare.
The cross-breeding of the animal was both unexpected and unintentional, Murphy said. Claiming it to be a "one-off" event on his farm, he described it as a "pure shock to the system."
"I've never seen anything like him before," he told the Irish Farmers Journal, adding that his family had been involved in sheep farming for "generations."
According to BBC News, the healthy and "thriving" geep seemed to be faster than other lambs born around the same time, Murphy revealed.
"He's unbelievable," he said. "He's so fast you'd have to get him into the pen to catch him. There's no chance you would catch him otherwise."
The sheep farmer, who also owns Murphy's pub in Ballymore Eustace, County Kildare, spoke to the journal in a interview headlined: Ewe gotta be kidding, BBC News reported.
Although Murphy admitted to having witnessed a goat mating with ewes on his farm during "tupping" season about five months ago, he hadn't really given it much serious thought until the geep was born.
"He's an unusual character," Murphy added, saying the animal was developing a set of horns on its head.
"The Irish Farmers Journal said it was the first time it had reported the birth of a healthy geep in Ireland," BBC News reported.
BBC News added, "A spokeswoman for the Ulster Farmers Union said the live birth of a so-called geep is a very rare event and they are not aware of any currently in existence in Northern Ireland."
The geep will not be sent away for slaughter, Murphy said. He's planning to keep the animal as long as possible.
