Cow "Herzal" Swallowed Wedding Ring: Butcher Makes Curious Discovery

"Herzal" was the name of the cow - and she swallowed the symbol of a heartfelt matter: Probably while being fed with oat silage, the young cow brushed the wedding ring off the finger of her farmer Johannes Brandhuber from Simbach am Inn in Germany with her rough tongue and hungrily swallowed it along with the silage. In any case, the still quite newly married 32-year-old noticed the ring was missing that Sunday morning in November after barn work. A little later came the surprise.

About four months later, the call came from butcher Josef Steinleitner in Vilshofen an der Donau: An employee found the ring in "Herzal's" stomach. The "Passauer Neue Presse" was the first to report on the case on Tuesday.

Butcher Finds Wedding Ring in Cow "Herzal"

"I've never experienced anything like this. It's unique," says Steinleitner (59), who has been in the job for over 40 years and is the head of the approximately 135-year-old family business. This little miracle only worked because here, after slaughtering, the work is still done by hand. The employee emptied the rumen - the contents are fertilizer - and discovered the golden sparkling piece in the process.

"It's a lucky coincidence to find such a small thing." In a large operation, the chance would probably have been zero, says Steinleitner. There are occasional finds of metal parts or other trash in the rumen of cows: For example, screws and nuts from the meadow sometimes slip through the wide gullet during fast eating.

Second Ring Was Found

At home with the Brandhubers, there was great joy. That the ring could ever reappear - "I didn't really believe it after such a long time," says Brandhuber. Especially his wife had not given up hope. "She was very happy."

The two only got married just under two years ago, in June 2023. After the loss of the ring, the engineer, who continues to run the family-owned farm, searched the entire barn. Without success. Eventually, he bought a new ring. Now he has two wedding rings - to switch between.

The matte gold original was polished smooth after months in the cow's enormous stomach. With difficulty, butcher Steinleitner could even recognize the initials on the find - and at first thought it was Brandhuber's father's ring. But he says: "It's my son's."

"Herzal" didn't get her name because of the ring in her stomach at the end of her life, of course. The two-and-a-half-year-old cow had a white heart on her forehead - that's why the children of the previous owner gave her the name. What remains of her now: some salami at the Steinleitner butcher shop.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.