Meet Piggy, the most famous rescue pig in China

Abandoned at an airport in China, then adopted by a photographer, Piggy the piglet grew up in front of the camera—and changed everything for his new family.

Animals · Exposure · By Hicks Wogan · Photographs by Feng Li · Published October 15, 2024 · 1 min read · November 2024 Issue

Topics: Pets, Pigs, Domestic Pig, Exotic Pets, Photography, Wildlife Photography, Short, Exposure, Animals, Magazine

Shampoos, sodas, Swiss Army knives: Many of us have discarded these items at the airport security checkpoint. But a four-pound male piglet? Airport employee He Ling came across just that in January 2017 in Chengdu, China—and made a decision few would dare. She took the animal home to live with her and her husband, Feng Li, in their 30th-floor apartment. (The Big Problem With Mini-Pigs) They named him Piggy. For Feng, a retired government photographer, the animal’s domestic life has been a favorite subject ever since. He considers Piggy—today weighing more than 200 pounds—a member of the family, just like the couple’s other pets, a parrot and four cats. The pig is usually food for people, Feng says, but “at least in my family, I hope it can live happily.” (Pet pigs can communicate with humans—especially when food is involved.)

This story appears in the November 2024 issue of National Geographic magazine.