In a cartoonish development that has captured the attention of netizens worldwide, a Chinese villager discovered gold particles worth about £1,300 (Rs 1.51 lakh) inside the stomach of a duck that he was preparing for dinner.
As per reports, the incident took place in central China’s Hunan province. The man, identified in Chinese media only by his surname Liu reportedly came across the gold particles after slaughtering a free-range duck he had raised himself.
What happened?
According to a report published by the South China Morning Post, Liu had been preparing the duck for cooking when he cut open its stomach and found several gold-coloured particles mixed in with its digestive contents.
While Liu had initially dismissed the particles as metallic debris or random small yellow stones, he later noticed a distinctive sheen in the particles that opened his mind to the possibility that it might just be ‘gold’.
Liu’s latest suspicions prompted him to examine the nature of these ‘strange yellow particles’. To confirm his hunch, Liu performed a burning test, where grains are heated to a certain degree to see whether they change colour after being burned or not.
The test is often used to separate gold from materials that visibly appear to be similar as gold is not supposed to change colour after being turned.
After a burning test, the particles were confirmed to be genuine gold, weighing around 10g and valued at nearly 12,000 yuan (US$1,800), the mainland media outlet Xinwenfang reported.
Chinese authorities response and family’s reaction
As per a report by the South China Morning Post, Liu’s family was elated by his discovery, his father notably remarked that Liu’s discovery was a sign of good luck for the year ahead.
Liu told the South China Morning Post that the duck in question was raised free-range near a river once known for gold mining. Liu’s theory is that the duck must have likely swallowed mud containing gold particles.
In his account Liu mentioned that as per historical tales famous in that region, gold eroded from ores by water used to frequently show up in the form of sediments at the river bank in question.
As per a report by Xinwenfang, the discovery also makes sense scientifically as the animate body cannot digest or absorb gold; it typically passes through the digestive system without harm.
Notably though, larger or impure gold pieces could still cause issues like intestinal blockages or poisoning in both animals and humans.
Notably, the Natural Resources Bureau of Longhui Prefecture (The ministry of mines, natural resources in China) has not yet confirmed whether the particles were indeed of gold.
“Further verification by specialised agencies is needed to confirm whether the particle is gold or not,” they said. Under Chinese law, all underground resources, including minerals and cultural relics, belong to the state.
Local authorities said the find was plausible given the region’s geological history, a translated report in Liaoshen Evening News stated. Rivers in the surrounding area have been historically associated with naturally occurring particles of gold found in river sediment.
Authorities told The Paper that determining the ownership of the gold found in the duck is difficult. Liu’s rare discovery also brings to mind a practice from the Tang dynasty (618–907), when farmers would collect gold particles from the faeces of ducks and geese.
The incident has gone viral on social media, with the topic racking up over 10 million views on chinese media