Photo: VCG

Liu, a man from Shaoyang, Central China's Hunan Province, discovered several gold-colored pellets in the stomach of a home-raised duck he was butchering. After subjecting them to a flame test, the pellets did not discolor, leading to a preliminary identification as real gold, Jimu News reported. But local authorities said that professional verification is needed for further confirmation.

Liu lives in Longhui, Shaoyang, and the duck was raised and given to him by his aunt. "I found the gold the day after slaughtering the duck while cleaning the internal organs," he said.

He explained that there are gold mines in the local area, and his grandfather, father, and even he himself have experience in gold panning. Drawing on his experience, he believes that the six or seven golden granules found in the duck's internal organs are real gold, Jimu News reported.

The largest piece found inside the duck's organs is about the size of two sesame seeds, with a total weight of no more than 0.5 grams, according to the report.

Liu said that gold was once mined in the nearby river, and it is possible that the free-range duck swallowed the gold particles while foraging in the river. He added that finding gold in a duck's belly is not uncommon, and other people have encountered similar cases, though none have found as much as he did this time, per the report.

After the story drew attention, some netizens expressed skepticism about the claim that gold was found while butchering the duck. Officials from local authorities in Longhui county said the claim is currently difficult to verify, noting that "a professional institution should conduct an appraisal to confirm whether it is indeed gold," the report said.


Global Times