Grandmother saw diamond from £1,500 ring swallowed by pig

A grandmother saw a diamond from a £1,500 ring she was wearing swallowed by a pig during a trip to a visitor attraction.

Published: 2:50PM BST
11 Aug 2009

Anne Moon was on a day out at York Maze when she went to pet the pig called Ginger.

But the animal clamped its teeth around the ring and when it let go Mrs Moon found that the diamond was missing.

Now Paul Caygill, the farmer who owns the Kune Kune pig, is waiting for nature to take its course in the hope of finding the missing gem, which was a gift from Mrs Moon's husband 30 years ago.

"I've never been in such close contact with a pig before so I put my hand out flat to let it have a sniff," said Mrs Moon, of Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

"It just clamped its teeth around the ring and wouldn't let go. When I did pull my hand free the ring was covered in dirt. I gave it a wipe and the diamond was gone, I couldn't believe it."

The pig's pen was searched because it was believed Ginger may have spat it out but nothing was found.

"If the pig wasn't so dirty I think we would have put him in the back of the car and taken him home," Mrs Moon added.

"Quite a crowd gathered round after it had happened. One woman said she would be a witness if the insurance company thought I was talking porkies. But the ring has a lot of sentimental value to me."

Mr Caygill said: "The woman came up to me and said 'you won't believe this, but one of your pigs has swallowed a diamond from my ring'.

"She showed me the ring and it had diamonds round the edge, but the big one in the middle was missing. She was upset."

The York Maze is constructed every year from maize and also features other attractions such as farmyard animals.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6010321/Grandmother-saw-diamond-from-1500-ring-swallowed-by-pig.html