During the annual Pigs of God festival in Taiwan, pigs that have grown up to six times their normal size due to forced feeding are slaughtered before a crowd of spectators, and the body of the winner is paraded on a float through the streets of Hsinchu City.

It takes up to two years to fatten the pigs for the contest. They can suffer from organ damage and pressure sores from being penned down so they cannot move. As the festival time approaches, some pig owners feed the animals metals and sand in an effort to put even more weight on the already 2,000-pound animals (the normal weight for a pig is up to about 500 pounds).

The pigs in the contest, too obese to even walk, are dragged by as many as 20 men before an audience that watches as the live animals’ throats are slashed.

Although public cruelty to animals is against the law in Taiwan, the government is reluctant to stop the contest because of backlash from religious groups that claim it is part of their tradition.

The Environment and Animal Protection Society of Taiwan (EAST) has a humane solution. It is proposing that instead of killing live animals, the pigs could be made of flowers, candy, and other inanimate materials.

Please support EAST’s campaign by asking the Taiwanese government to consider this cruelty-free alternative.

Photo credit: Jeppestown