Khanzir ( ar, خنزير) is the Arabic word for

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...

, and is also used in some other languages through borrowing. It is also the individual name given to a famous Chinese pig exhibited at

Kabul Zoo Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. The animal achieved fame as the only pig in Afghanistan, a predominantly Islamic country where the sale of

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

is not practiced. As a result, Afghanistan has no pig farms. Khanzir, a male pig, was given to Kabul Zoo by the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in 2002. He had been one of a pair, but his companion subsequently died. His status as "Afghanistan's lone pig" attracted international attention in May 2009, when he was moved into quarantine. The move came in response to visitors' concerns at the time of a worldwide outbreak of influenza A (H1N1) ("swine flu"). Aziz Gul Saqib, director of Kabul Zoo, explained that Khanzir was in fact "strong and healthy", noting that "The only reason we moved him was because Afghan people don't have a lot of knowledge about swine flu, and so when they see a pig they get worried and think they will get ill." He was released from quarantine after two months.

References

{{reflist, 2 Individual pigs Individual animals in Afghanistan Afghanistan–China relations

See also

References