Colorado Rancher Talks All About Her First 'They/Them Baby Lamb'
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A sixth-generation rancher in Colorado was left speechless after a "first" for her occurred with the animals on the ranch.
Elena, known on TikTok as @cactushillfarm, shared in a March 31 video the unbelievable surprise she discovered while caring for a new animal at the Cactus Hill Farm: her first "they/them baby lamb."
About a day after the baby was born, she realized the lamb was intersex, which means an animal has both male and female reproductive organs. She uses pronouns they and them for the lamb.
The surprise stunned her, as she had never seen this happen on her ranch, but she read about the rare possibility of intersex animals, which stands at about 5 percent, according to an article from the Environmental Literacy Council.
Amazed by the biology happening on her ranch, Elena told Newsweek via text: "It's so cool that we still have so much to learn about our complexity and the complexity of the natural world."
But before she could marvel at the rarity, she focused on getting the baby lamb healthy, as they gave her a bit of a scare right after birth.
"They were actually pretty weak when it was born," she said. "I went out to check and found the baby with a little hypothermia."
Elena brought the baby, which she originally thought was a boy, into her home to warm the newcomer up by the fire. The baby also experienced a bad eye infection and pneumonia.
Then worry crept in about whether the mother lamb would want the baby back. Thankfully, the worrying was all for naught. The mother gladly welcomed the baby back into her care.
"Mama is really a top-notch mom," she said. "She knows her baby is a little slow, so she's made extra effort to keep an eye on them."
Screenshots from a March 31 TikTok video of a rancher stunned by her first experience of having an intersex lamb born under her care.
Screenshots from a March 31 TikTok video of a rancher stunned by her first experience of having an intersex lamb born under her care.
@cactushillfarm/TikTok
Elena believes the baby is doing well now, and she's thankful the mother has been supportive. But she noted that the baby is "not quite developed" and tends to pee on itself. She imagines that it will be an issue as the baby's wool grows.
In the meantime, she's dedicated to giving this baby everything they need to live "their best life out on organic pasture and feed."
'It's Perfect'
As of Friday, the video amassed over 1.5 million views, 226,400 likes and 3,649 comments on TikTok.
"I hope it's healthy and happy. Stuff happens. I think it's miraculous stuff doesn't happen more often," said one viewer.
Another added: "Mom is like, 'Don't judge my baby, it's perfect."
A third person wrote: "I bet the moma loves them just the way they are too!"
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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