There’s only one known pig in the entire country of Afghanistan, where pigs and pork products are illegal because of Islamic law.
The pig lives at the Kabul Zoo.
Zookeepers have put it in quarantine because of worries about swine flu.
The pig, a gift from China that normally is on display with deer and goats, has been locked away in a special room until the flu threat passes.
More than 1,000 people worldwide have been infected with the flu and 26 have died, says the World Health Organization. Most of the cases have been in Mexico, and there are no direct flights between Mexico and Kabul.
“Most people don’t have enough knowledge,” said the zoo director. “When they see the pig in the cage, they get worried and think that they could get ill.”
When I see a pig in a cage, I think: Mmmm, bacon.
Full story here.
- The Small Business Development Center at Shasta College offers workshops next week on small business financing and on federal contract negotiations. The SBDC has an ongoing schedule of workshops and classes you can track at its website. Click here.
- Mark your calendars for May 19, when the Need 2 Speed indoor racetrack in downtown Redding will host a challenge race to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The challenge race is open to all emergency service personnel, who’ll drive the electric go-karts to see who’s fastest. Need 2 Speed is also donating 25% of its regular proceeds from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. that day. For more information or to sign up, call 246-7223.
- DVD I’m Watching on the Dreadmill: “Le Cercle Rouge,” a 1970 crime drama by Jean-Pierre Melville. Alain Delon is a recent prison parolee who gets mixed up with an escapee played by Gian Maria Volonte. Yves Montand is a former cop who joins them. Cool.
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