Pig in the pink

The sow, who became a symbol of hope after she survived more than five weeks stuck in rubble, finds life keeps getting better.

Strong Pig is enjoying middle age - that's 6 for a swine - especially since she lost enough weight to walk again. The sow, who became a symbol of hope after surviving on charcoal and rainwater after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake trapped her for 36 days, now leads a cushy life grazing on grass and playing with her new puppy pal. Known as Zhu Jianqiang in Chinese, Strong Pig has toned down her exercise regimen since reaching an optimal 150 kg, well-down from a peak of 250 kg. Workers at Sichuan province's Jianchuan Museum, where she lives and "works", believe she ate so much after nearly starving in the rubble, seven meals a day for the first six months, perhaps because she thinks each time she eats might be her last.

After she became obese and unable to walk, she was put on a strict diet and exercise regimen. She later went from two meals a day to one and hiked a kilometer daily until she shed the excess kilograms.