Four candles or Fork Handles?

A friend passed me this gem which was found on the BBC World Service.

During the recent floods in Queensland, The Rockhampton Morning Bulletin reported the following:

 

More than 30,000 pigs lost in floodwaters.

 

“More than 30,000 pigs have been floating down the Dawson River since last weekend, with a piggery at Baralaba paralysed by flooding which has killed most of its bred live-stock. Baralaba Butchers’ Sid Everingham ... said: ‘We’ve lost probably about 30,000 pigs in the floods ....’”

 

But a few days later, the newspaper published a correction:

 

What Baralaba piggery-owner Sid Everingham actually said was “30 sows and pigs”, not “30,000 pigs.”

 

If ever there's an object lesson in checking your facts it's this!  “Crikey Sid, that’s a lot of a pigs mate, are you sure you mean 30,000?” would have done the trick!