The 80-year-old businessman-turned-politician, who became a vegetarian last year, was pictured cuddling and feeding the rescued lambs with a bottle in a bid to promote an animal rights campaign against the Easter slaughter of lambs and revive his political career.
The campaign is being promoted by chairwoman of the Italian League for the Defence of Animals and the Environment Michela Vittoria Brambilla.
Brambilla hailed the former premier and centre-right Forza Italia leader's "concrete gesture” in support of the 'At Easter Choose Life, Choose Veg' campaign.
A longstanding political ally of Berlusconi, Brambilla is also former culture and tourism minister in the last Berlusconi government before he was ousted in 2011 following a series of scandals.
Berlusconi’s pledge to save the lambs has infuriated Italy’s meat industry.
"It's incredible that even though he is a business person he is contributing to damaging the meat industry to try to get the votes of animal lovers," Italian butchers’ lobby Assocarni said in a statement.
While Italians traditionally eat lamb or goat on Easter Sunday, economic hardships and the success of national vegetarian campaigns in recent times has led to a decline in the consumption of traditional meat dishes over Easter.
