Residents in Trenton, New Jersey, are raising money to send local boy Milton Pope to New York, so that he can push a pig off the top of the Empire State Building.

To our knowledge, no one has ever pushed a pig off the top of the Empire State before, although in 1962 a ram was ejected from a window on the 75th floor. There are also unconfirmed reports of a racoon seen teetering on a balcony at various times during the winter of 1975.

Rabbit

Only last week, Pope very nearly succeeded in shoving a rabbit off the top of his local all-night gas station. Nevertheless, he isn't complacent about his chances in New York, and realises that he will have to undergo a good deal more training before he's ready to tackle 'the big one' as he calls it. He's been practising his technique for many months now, and much care and consideration has gone into the selection of the right pig.

In decline

Pushing farmyard animals from the top of tall buildings was briefly popular in the forties and early fifties, but the practice has been in decline in recent years. Nevertheless, Milton Pope is a driven man. When asked by a local newspaper exactly why he wanted to push a pig off the famous landmark, he replied simply, "Hey, everyone's gotta have a hobby."