May 24 (UPI) — An Illinois couple said they received an unusual surprise when their pregnant cow gave birth to triplets — beating incredible odds.
Todd and Cynthia Carlson of Amboy said they knew their cow, Minnie, was giving birth on the night of May 15, but they decided to allow nature to take its course and went to bed.
The couple said they were shocked when they went to visit Minnie the next morning and discovered she had given birth to three calves.
Experts said there is only a 1 in 105,000 chance that a pregnant cow will have triplets, and Minnie’s situation is even more unusual because all three calves survived.
“Several people that we’ve asked that have had cows forever — their entire lives, and they’re in their 60s — never saw a set of triplets,” Cynthia Carlson told WTVO-TV.
The couple named the calves after characters from sitcom Friends, but with some cow puns thrown in: Phoe-Beef Buffay, Ross Gelded and Joey Tri-beef-ani.