Remember the red heifer discovered on a farm near Lakewood recently? It made a splash int he Jewish world media and rabbis from all over went out to inspect it and declare it a valid heifer for a para aduma candidate.

The excitement was palpable - people thought it was a sign the arrival of mashiach was imminent and the Beis Hamikdash would be rebuilt before the end of the year. Herb, the farmer, even reportedly turned down an offer of a million dollars to buy it.

It turns out that the red heifer recently became invalidated as a para aduma. She gave birth to a little cute baby (not red but black), and that put an end to everything.
sources: Kikar News and COL

Somehow all these people, including professionals, missed that this cow was pregnant. Somehow, despite having the most important cow on the planet (not including any cow in India, to the Indians), they did not keep it isolated and protected or only with other cows of the same gender. It seems they guard wheat better than they guarded this red heifer.

I wonder if Herb regrets not taking that million dollars now...