Miracle pig survives for 36 days under quake debris

By Lydia Chen  |   2008-6-23  |     ONLINE EDITION

A PIG in the capital city of earthquake-hit Sichuan Province was bought by a local museum and named "Mr Strongwill" after it survived for 36 days under quake debris.

The pig, raised by Wan Xinming in Tuanshan Village of Chengdu City, was named "Zhu Jianqiang" by Fan Jianchuan, curator of Jianchuan Museum. Fan paid 3,008 yuan (US$438) to buy the pig, Chengdu Business Daily reported today.

The family name Zhu has the same pronunciation of pig in Chinese while Jianqiang means having a strong will.

Fan said he will keep the pig until it dies. He added that the folk-customs museum has donated 10,000 yuan to Wan to help the man's family rebuild from the worst quake to hit the country in three decades, the report said.

The pig, which lost nearly 100 kilograms during the 36 days it was trapped, was found alive by soldiers on June 17, astonishing vets who believed pigs could survive only for five days without food and water, the report said.

The pig, which used to consume 30 kilograms of water and food a day, was said to have eaten charcoal to survive in the cramped space that was than half a meter high, the report said.

Veterinarian Pan Banggui told the newspaper that the pig was lucky that the space was so small and that it couldn't move, which allowed it to save energy

The pig's survival has become a big topic of conversation on the Internet and many people said it should not be slaughtered because it was a "miracle pig," the report added.