Four Legs After Two Udders Removed

pictured: Lilli in Bern before operation.

Lilli the calf who made headlines around the world after being born with six legs on her farm in Weissenburg, Switzerland, has been successfully operated on to have the limbs removed and has now been given a home at an Alpine animal sanctuary.

Surgeons in Bern, Switzerland, managed to operate to remove the two extra legs growing from Lilli’s shoulder and she has now been moved to the Gut Aiderbichl, an Alpine animal refuge centre in Henndorf am Wallersee in the Austrian province of Salzburg.

Britta Freitag from Gut Aiderbichl said Lilli was already making a full recovery in the Alpine environment.

Lilli was born on 14th February 2012 in the Swiss Simmental region. The farmer decided not to put her to sleep as the cow was developing normally and was full of life.

A Swiss animal lover bought Lilli from the farmer for 1,420 GBP and then made contact with Gut Aiderbichl run by animal lover Michael Aufhauser.

On June 14th Lilli was taken to a University clinic in Bern where the extra leg was removed at a cost of 1,300 GBP. They also diagnosed a curve in her spine. But they said otherwise the cow was not showing any more impairments and did not appear to be unhappy.

The operation took four hours.

“Lilli is recovering from the operation and has a good appetite back. She was moved to Salzburg on Friday. She is happy, curious and enjoying getting to know the fellow cows.” said Michael Aufhauser, owner at Gut Aiderbichl.

Bad Aiderbichl made headlines last year after Yvonne the cow went on the run and ended up there after Aufhauser and his team rescued her.