WIKIMEDIA, TITANIUM22

Chinese researchers have cloned a pig that survived for weeks drinking rainwater and eating charcoal underneath the rubble of an 8.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Sichuan Province in 2008. Zhu Jiangqiang, or "Strong-Willed Pig," is now the proud father of six identical piglets created using DNA from the castrated swine. "The wonderful pig surprised us again," project leader Du Yutao, told Hong Kong newspaper the Sunday Morning Post earlier this month. The reason for cloning Zhu Jiangqiang is unclear, but the paper reports that the piglets will likely be sent to a museum and genetic institute, presumably for further study into the tenacious pig's staying power.

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