Once again I am amazed at the breathe of a fast-breaking news story from the India subcontinent, what it could mean to the world, and the implications with regard to man's relation to God. Please set your coffee cup down in a secure place before reading further.

I've included two versions of this story, and as you might expect the details vary but the whole story is undoubtedly more than the sum of its competing parts. This clearly is not a BS thread, given that a cow is involved and the likelihood that a song or two may be inspired!


BOVINE GEM DEPOSITS

Diamonds are a Cow's Best Friend
By Rajeev Khanna
BBC correspondent in Ahmedabad

The merits of cow dung in South Asia have long been praised. It is used for cooking, construction and manure.But diamond studded cow dung is not something that is a regular occurrence.

Now it seems that diamonds are a cow's best friend in the sleepy town of Limbudi, in the Indian state of Gujarat.Nearly 2,000 of the precious stones were lost by jewelry trader Mohobat Sang Gohil on his way home from work earlier this month.

Retracing his steps, Mr Gohil worked out that he had probably dropped the diamonds - worth more than 800 dollars (40,000 Rupees) near a group of stray cattle.It occurred to Mr Gohil that one of these animals may have eaten his precious package.

His suspicions were confirmed when a packet containing foodstuff that was wrapped with the same paper he had used to cover the diamonds was ignored by all the cows except one, which consumed it voraciously.The broker then rounded up the cattle and took them to a compound where his hunch was confirmed.

Dung Vigil

The suspect cow was given a strict diet of dry fodder, and an all day vigil has been launched to see if the diamonds might appear from its rear end.Giving laxatives in this case will not help as the chances of diamonds coming out with thin dung are remote said Mohobat Sang Gohil, Gujarat diamond dealer


It was not long before sparkling cow dung began to be seen.The dung is now regularly diluted to make it easier and more hygienic for Mr Gohil and his workers to retrieve around 20 to 25 precious stones a day.

He has obtained special permission from the owner to carry out the inspections.Government servants are now visiting the cow daily to ensure that it is not subjected to any cruelty.The cow is a sacred animal for Hindus who treat them with reverence even when they are not defecating diamonds.

Mr Gohil says that so far 322 diamonds have been retrieved from the cow dung."I believe it will take a month to get them all back,'' he says.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/3410955.stm

Published: 2004/01/19 21:17:08 GMT

© BBC MMIV

STORY II

Cow with the Diamond Dung
From Australian, AFP, 27jan04

A DIAMOND trader in India's western state of Gujarat has been feeding up a cow for the last 17 days; not to get more milk but to retrieve the 1722 diamonds the animal swallowed by mistake.

Sifting daily through the cow's dung, Mohabbatsinh Gohil said that so far he had recovered only 555 of his precious stones."At the rate at which the cow is discharging my diamonds, it should take another 30 days to get them all back," said an exasperated Gohil in the town of Limdi, Surendranagar district.

Gohil's packet of diamonds, worth about 45,000 rupees (about $1300), was munched up by the cow after he accidentally dropped it in the street.

The trader has vowed to keep up his daily task of searching through the cow's dung until he has recovered all his gems, but a veterinarian advising him says he is being too optimistic.

"The cow is a ruminant animal which has its stomach divided in four compartments. It is impossible to recover all the diamonds," said the vet, A.S. Manvar.

Meanwhile, the cow has become a centre of attraction for people in Limdi, who flock around it every day waiting for it to drop its offerings to the waiting Gohil.

For every diamond he finds, the crowd breaks into a cheer.

More technical notes:

As someone who grew up on a diary farm I can attest to the bizarre appetite of cows for hardware and anything else they can swallow. We used to feed our cows round magnets to help collect in their stomachs the nails that they would swallow. We never had to worry about diamonds but I would have to agree that it is unlikely that they will all pass out the exit of the elementary canal.

I do wonder what cheer the crowd breaks into.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble