The farmer, who lived in a rural area of the north, had long wished to lower his electricity expenses. He decided to install his own gas pipeline to serve the residence.
It was hard work, especially when you were alone. He therefore rented a strong excavator with a hydraulic bucket.
Since the machine wasn’t his, he decided to begin by practicing on a gently, uncultivated patch of ground. The loose dirt contained neither roots nor pebbles.
But then the bucket suddenly collided with something substantial about five feet below the surface.
Concerned for the tool, he immediately turned off the engine. Something was buried and could not be found by the equipment.
He grabbed a shovel and a headlamp and went down. At first, he assumed it was just a rock, which would not be unusual in that glacial region.
However, the thing became odd the more he dug. It was hard and smooth, like if it had been polished.
After two hours of manual digging, the farmer found something incredible: a large, curved bone that resembled a tusk or horn.
One more, placed symmetrically beside it. If he peered closely, he could see the outline of a skull: a tall forehead, empty eye sockets, and a long, curved jaw.
He called two of his neighbors, and they dug with great enthusiasm. With each passing minute, it became more and more clear that this was neither a deer nor a cow. This was a very ancient item.
Early the next morning, the farmer called a university in the provincial capital. The next day, a paleontologist professor and his students arrived.
The professor was excited to learn that the remains belonged to a woolly mammoth that was over 20,000 years old.
The mammoth had died and been quickly buried, most likely in a flood or landslide, as evidenced by the amazing preservation of its tusks, head, and several ribs.
But the professor’s excitement was tempered by an unexpected development. When he demanded that the bones be removed immediately to a museum, the farmer vehemently resisted.
