A 150kg pig who resides at the intersection of Yanping N Road and Minzu W Road has become part of the community in Datong District, Taipei City.
The pig, named Happy, lives alone in an unused concrete house. Happy is well liked by the local community and fed by stallholders at the local market. In fine weather Happy finds shade near buildings and often goes on strolls as far as Taipei Bridge. No matter where she goes, Happy always manages to find her way home.
Many mistake Happy for a wild pig and the Guoshun Borough (國順) chief has in the past made calls for help to police, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Council of Agriculture. However, as the matter remained unresolved for more than two years, local residents have grown accustomed to coexisting with the porker.
PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES
Happy’s owner, Hu Wan-chi (胡萬吉), said he purchased Happy from a pet shop on Heping W Road three years ago for NT$4,500. The owner had told him that Happy, who weighed 30kg at the time, was a miniature pig that would not grow longer than 100cm. However, a year later, Happy had become so large that she could no longer climb the stairs to Hu’s fifth floor apartment.
Hu remembers Happy’s earlier days with fondness. Back then, Happy would follow Hu around. In hot weather, Hu bathed Happy often and Happy was obedient and clean.
The small concrete building where Happy resides is an empty ice storage area from the time when Hu was an ice vendor. After Happy became too big, Hu was unable to keep her at home and yet loath to send her to a slaughterhouse.
Unable to find a new owner for Happy, Hu made the empty ice storage Happy’s new home.
Luckily, Happy is well liked and often fed by locals who give her milk and leftovers, Hu said.
Once a young woman even hired workmen to mend Happy’s house, he said.
Hu is reserved about the fact that he has no choice but to allow Happy to live on the street. He also refused to be photographed with the pig. He says that he has not given Happy a bath in the last two years and that Happy has become so overweight that she can barely open his eyes.
However, when Hu walks past, Happy always greets him joyfully, he said.
SUPPORT: Arms sales to NATO Plus countries such as Japan, South Korea and Israel only have to be approved by the US Congress if they exceed US$25m The US should amend a law to add Taiwan to the list of “NATO Plus” allies and streamline future arms sales, a US commission said on Tuesday in its annual report to the US Congress. The recommendation was made in the annual report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), which contained chapters on US-China economic and trade ties, security relations, and Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the chapter on Taiwan, the commission urged the US Congress to “amend the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 to include Taiwan on the list of ‘NATO Plus’ recipients,” referring to
Taiwan yesterday advanced to the gold medal match of the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 for the first time in history, despite last night losing 9-6 to Japan. Taiwan advanced after the US defeated Venezuela in the first game on the last day of the Super Round. However, the US had no chance of advancing to the championship game unless it defeated Venezuela by at least nine points. The US won 6-5. As a result, the two teams — who both had one win and two losses in the Super Round — are to face off again in the
Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) said she would tender her resignation following criticism of her handling of alleged bullying by Ministry of Labor Workforce Development Agency branch director Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容) resulting in the death of an employee. The ministry yesterday gave Hsieh two demerits and said she is subject to review by the Disciplinary Court. The severest possible punishment would be her removal from office and being barred from government jobs indefinitely. Workforce Development Agency Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) also received a major demerit and was transferred to another position. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) issued a formal apology
FREEDOM CURTAILED: The conviction of 45 democracy advocates proves the ‘unworkability’ of Beijing’s ‘one country, two systems’ model, the Presidential Office said Taiwan yesterday condemned China over the jailing of 45 Hong Kong activists, saying “democracy is not a crime.” The government “strongly condemned the Chinese government’s use of judicial measures and unfair procedures to suppress the political participation and freedom of speech of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activists,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement. International condemnation of the jailings has been swift, with the US, Australia and rights groups slamming the sentencing as evidence of the erosion of political freedoms in the territory since Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020. Yesterday’s sentencing “not only breaks the promises of ‘50
RSS