KARACHI: The owner of Simba, a Pakistani baby goat born with unusually long ears, is aiming at having it recognized by Guinness World Records as the kid’s earlobes are already half a meter long and keep on growing.
Simba was born on June 4, 2022, with 48 cm-long ears that in less than a month have already reached 53 cm — 10 cm longer than of a goat born in Saudi Arabia, which according to the Pakistani kid’s owner, Muhammad Hasan Narejo, has been assumed by breeders to be the unofficial current record holder.
“I applied to the Guinness book team,” he told Arab News over the weekend. “They have successfully accepted our request and we are expecting their answers in 10 to 12 weeks.”
While Simba was born at Narejo’s home in Karachi, he also owns a farm in Sanghar in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, where for the past four years he has been breading goats from the Lady and Barbari breeds.
Narejo and his younger brother pet Simba outside its cage in a garden, on July 1, 2022. (AN photo)
Simba is from the Lady breed, which generally has longer ears, although not this long.
“This is a giant size,” he said. “I went to the tailor and made a special bag for this baby goat. We carry the ears in the bag.”
The kid’s ears are longer than its body. The pelage is also rare, as the ears are white, contrasting with its camel-color coat.
The name Simba comes from the protagonist of Disney’s “The Lion King” animated feature, which Narejo said he had watched in childhood.
“Simba means a lion,” he said. “This name clicked in my mind, so I gave this name to this goat baby.”
Simba walks idly behind its owner, Mohammad Hasan Narejo, in a garden, on July 1, 2022. (AN photo)
The one takes care of Simba is Narejo’s younger brother, Yasir Ali Narejo, who told Arab News the goat is his “best friend.”
“I brush him, I walk with him. Simba is very naughty. He tries to eat sand and grass, but since he is a baby, he cannot eat grass.”
The owner said he has already received offers from breeders in Saudi Arabia and Oman interested in buying Simba.
“They say, 'you set the price and we will buy.' But so far, my focus is to bring Simba into the Guinness Book of World Records, register it with the name of Simba Pakistani, make Pakistan feel proud.”
Some of Narejo’s neighbors in Karachi, like Muhammad Salman, are already proud of the little goat.
“We all are happy, as Allah has blessed this area with this beautiful creature,” he said. “We feel proud of such a beautiful animal.”
