reckon on how you expect at it , Khanzir is either the world ’s loneliest — or luckiest — farm animal . According toThe Washington Post , the 14 - yr - onetime grunter is the only animate being of his form to endure in Afghanistan , an Islamic nation that bans the intake ( and in some cases , even touching ) of pigs . The solitary swine might be fellow traveller - gratis , but the sheer novelty of his macrocosm means he ’s famous in his grunter - destitute body politic .
Khanzir ( whose name means “ Pig ” in Pashto , one of Afghanistan ’s national languages ) was n’t always Afghanistan ’s only pig . In 2002 , China gave Khanzir and a distaff fellow traveler to the Kabul Zoo , along with a twosome of brown bears . Khanzir became a father , but four twelvemonth later , tragedy struck : A menagerie caretaker left the bears ’ cage clear , and one of them raid the pig natural enclosure . The piglets were killed , and the distaff pig was badly injured , and later died . Khanzir was the only survivor .
Today , Khanzir endure in his own enclosure in the Kabul Zoo . The widow pig may no longer have a family , but he still get lots of party : Many Afghans have never visit a pig before in their lives , and travel long distance to see Khanzir . He ’s also beloved by his caretakers , and well - prey to boot .
That being said , Khanzir ’s celebrity condition sometimes attract undesirable aid . Case in point : During the universal swine flu epidemic of 2009 , officialsplaced the famous slovenly person in quarantineafter visitors ( who knew trivial about swine flu ) feared he would make them nauseous . Some people even call for Khanzir to be euthanized .
Ultimately , Khanzir had more friends than enemy , and he remained unscathed . Today , he ’s protected by loyal zoo workers , who tellThe Washington Postthat Khanzir is " an innocent brute , like all animals"—even though he’sharam , or forbidden by Islamic law .
you may learn more about Khanzir ( and even watch a television of him)over atThe Washington Post .
[ h / tThe Washington Post ]
