Honey Bunch! Not Honey Baked!

Published by PETA.
reuters / CC
strong_pig.jpg

Oh, how I do love a tearjerker with a happy ending! So here’s a lovely one for you: A tenderhearted businessperson in China, named Fan Jianchuan, recently took in a resilient pig who survived 36 days without food after May’s devastating earthquake in Sichuan. With the deepest appreciation for Fan’s generous pledge to care for Zhu for the rest of his days, our friends over at PETA Asia-Pacific honored Fan with a Compassionate Action award.

The little pig, named Zhu Jianqiang or “Strong Pig,” was trapped under rubble and emaciated after only eating charcoal and drinking rain water to survive!

In light of the tragic Midwest floods—in which pigs swam for days to get to safety, only to be shot to death, which is just one horror story among so many—the rescue of Strong Pig from the rubble of such a devastating natural disaster is a beautiful glimmer of hope, right? I told you this was heartwarming. These pigs—who were supposed to be slaughtered in two parts of the world where pork is a staple food—desperately struggled for their lives right along with humans, and it leave no doubt as to pigs’ commonality with us.

While knowing that this little guy has a safe place to lay his head from now on is reason enough to love this story, I’ve got to admit to the little kick that I get out of thinking about the folks who view these intelligent beings as no more than “food” getting a glimpse into the human-like quality of their dinner.

Posted by Missy Lane

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 Ingrid E. Newkirk

“Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights?” READ MORE

— Ingrid E. Newkirk, PETA President and co-author of Animalkind