‘Praying pig’ becomes unlikely online hit
Photographs of the animal prostrate at a Buddhist shrine in Zhejiang go viral in China
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 25 February, 2015, 5:04pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 25 February, 2015, 5:04pm
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The 'praying pig' of Zhejiang province. A police officer suggested it was suffering from a lack of vitamin E. Photo: SCMP Pictures
A pig has become an unlikely hit on the internet in China after it was photographed at a Buddhist Temple looking like it was praying.
Pictures of the animal with its head bowed at the temple near Wenzhou in Zhejiang province have gone viral, with nearly eight million hits.
Passers-by took photographs of the pig on Sunday until a senior monk chanted to it and it moved on.
Some people commenting on the internet said the pig must have been godly and close to the Buddha, but a police officer had a more mundane explanation for its posture, saying it was suffering from a lack of vitamin E.
The owner of the animal said it had run off with two other pigs, apparently looking for food.
Another villager said it was common for pigs to bend their legs to rest after running, but it was unusual for them to bend their front legs.
The story does not end well for the pig. It was slaughtered on Sunday evening and the owner only found out about his animal’s new-found celebrity later.
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have killed it,” he said.
