The country has only one pig

Khanzir is a very famous pig. Visitors from everywhere flock to the zoo to see Khanzir. Khanzir's popularity stems from the fact that it is the only pig in Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan, like most Muslim countries, eating pork is a taboo, the Washington Post reported. In fact, touching pigs is sometimes not allowed. As a result, pigs are not raised in the country. In addition, Afghanistan's mountainous terrain is also not suitable for raising pigs.

Khanzir 14 years old, the only pig in Afghanistan.

"In general, most Afghans have never seen pigs in their lives , " said Aziz Gul Saqib, Kabul zoo director, who raised 14-year-old Khanzir pigs.

But Khanzir , whose name means "pig" in Afghan, is not a lonely pig. In 2002, it was brought here from China with a female pig and a pair of brown bears, Saqib said.

Khanzir and female pigs gave birth to a piglet a few years later. But "family" pigs have encountered "tragedy " in 2006.

Most Afghans have never seen pigs.

"Our zoo givers are still not used to it," Saqib explained. "One day, he accidentally left the barn door open, and the bear rushed into the pigsty."

The bear kills piglets. Zoo staff just arrived in time to rescue Khanzir and female pigs. However, female pigs were seriously injured and died later.

That was when Khanzir became the only pig in Afghanistan.

Today, Khanzir may be a lonely pig, but it is not always alone. It developed a special relationship with caregivers, fed and bathed Khanzir daily, according to the Washington Post.

Khanzir's "family" was attacked by the brown bear to death.

When asked if pig care contradicts religious beliefs, Timur replied: "No. It is certainly a prohibition, but not a bad thing , " he said.

Khanzir is now old and weak, almost all day in a stable and looking at tourists. The zoo director said they were looking for a female pig to pair with Khanzir, but this could not happen soon.

"We asked other countries to give us more animals, including pigs. But no one has yet pledged to bring a friend to Khanzir , " Saqib said.