For one calf in rural Cambodia who popped out near the home of the recently-widowed Khim Hang, being (re)born was much like hitting the jackpot.

The 74-year-old woman has taken the calf under her wing, believing him to be the reincarnate of her husband Tol Khut, a Cambodian farmer who died unexpectedly just over a year ago in Cambodia's northeastern Kratie Province.

She is not the only one to hold this belief - so too do her seven children and her neighbours. Inside the wooden stilted house, the calf is fed, washed and put to bed, with a long fluffy pillow propped up along his back.

He lies there from 6 pm to 10 am, the family says, with the TV frequently on in the background to keep him entertained - just as Tol Khut would have liked. After a slow morning, it's time to leave the house, walk back down the stairs and either eat grass or drink his mother's milk.

Khim Hang says the new familial addition is here to stay, adding that her children had been instructed to look after him if she dies earlier than he does, and to give him a human funeral ceremony upon his death.