This is an extremely rare case: a 23-year-old woman has given birth to a four-legged baby girl at the Lebowakgomo Hospital in Polokwane (Limpopo, north of Pretoria). The little girl came into this world at 6.20am yesterday.

Dr Elizabeth Reji, head of the neonatal unit at the hospital, said that during the initial moments of delivery, the baby appeared normal, but when her legs came out it was found that she had two additional joined legs. "The baby's other legs emerged from the pubic bone. We have since arranged for the baby to be transferred to George Mukhari Hospital in GaRankuwa outside Pretoria for an operation to remove the other legs," said Reji.

"The baby's mother had not experienced any complications after the birth, which proved that the birth was normal. We even conducted an X-ray on the baby and discovered there were bones in the other unusual legs," she added.

The mother, whose name was not made public for protection, was shocked by what she said she saw. The woman, a resident of GaMphahlele in Tooseng, was worried about how to transmit the news to her relatives. "I'm still in shock and do not know what to do about the matter, but with time I believe I will be able to recover. I had initially been excited that I would be giving birth to my first child but was now confused and unhappy," she said.

She has no family history of babies born with abnormalities. The girl's father works in Germiston, outside Johannesburg. "I suspect that the baby's deformity is related to both the mother and the baby's genetic make-up," said Reji.

"This is a very strange case. In the past 10 years in this province we've never seen such a case. But most of our doctors are familiar with this type of problem and they've committed themselves to support the mother and help the baby live a normal life," said a health department spokesperson, Phuthu Seloba.

Doctors think the surgery could enable the girl to make a full recovery and live a normal life. "Our medical specialists have observed her and believe that she can pull through. The baby is responding very well and surgery will be carried out on her very soon." said Seloba.

A similar case was signaled in Zambia in July 2003.

The extra limbs condition - known as "polymelia" - is rare among both humans and animals. It is more common in frogs and toads, but researches link it to impairments during the metamorphosis due to contaminants found in the environment or to parasitic worms.