Calf born with smiley face spared abattoir

An Australian farm refrained from slaughtering a calf because of its birthmark with a smiley face on its side.

The farm owner also gave a name to the black and white Holstein calf born this week, reports The Telegraph. 

The owner also planned a future for the calf as "a lawnmower".

"It will be allowed to roam around, grazing the lawns of farm workers," the owner said.

The calf has been nicknamed Happy because of its markings, which resemble two eyes, a nose and a smile.

The markings were first noticed by farmer Barry Coster when he was doing the rounds of his farm near the town of Ripplebrook, in the state of Victoria.

He and his wife Megan breed around 700 calves a year on the stud farm.

The unusual markings have secured Happy an idyllic future as a pet.

"We've seen some number sevens or love hearts on the head and a few strange markings, but we've never seen anything that resembles a smiley face before," Mrs Coster told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 

"A few of our workers are keen to have him as a pet and a lawnmower in their yards. He'll be around for a while."