THE owners of Chippenham postal company were left surprised when they were asked to moo-ve a five-legged taxidermy calf which needed shipping to America.

Keith and Sandra Andrews, owners of Mail Boxes Etc, were asked to ship the unusual animal to Woodstock and had to have a custom-made wooden crate prepared as well as ensure it had the correct paper work.

Mrs Andrews said: “We deal with a lot of auction houses and it’s not unusual to be asked to ship taxidermy animals.

“For example, we once shipped a lion to an overseas buyer but when we were told that this calf had five legs, we did wonder for a moment whether we had heard correctly.”

The unusual animal had previously been on display at a museum in the Isle of Wight that had closed down before it was auctioned off.

Henry Haden, valuer at Criterion Auctioneers who sold the item, said: “The calf was quite a local celebrity – my wife remembered seeing it on a TV programme about the museum.

“We deal with a lot of taxidermy pieces – there’s a renewed interest in them, particularly for display in bars, pubs and clubs.

“They all have to be pre-1947 to comply with the law on import and export of endangered species, and this one dates from around 1920.”