Pig kills butcher, 61, after waking up and knocking him over in rage at slaughterhouse
SHEUNG SHUI, HONG KONG: A 61-year-old butcher was killed by a stunned pig who lashed out at him after suddenly regaining consciousness. The incident took place at the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse on Friday, January 20, when the animal unexpectedly woke and pounced at his would-be slaughterer. The butcher was apparently preparing the pig to be slaughtered and had thus, shot it with an electric gun. However, the circumstances quickly changed when the pig knocked him over in rage leading to him seemingly dropping his 15-inch meat cleaver onto his own foot.
A colleague found the butcher, who was named as Cai by local media, with the cleaver in his hand and his left foot bleeding profusely from the wound, police told CNN. He was rushed to a local hospital by an ambulance, but was later pronounced dead, the local reports said. Hong Kong’s Labor Department launched an investigation on Friday claiming that it was “a fatal work accident.” While the police are yet to determine the cause of death, it appears that the butcher sustained the wounds after getting knocked over by the struggling pig. The reports have not confirmed what happened to the apparent killer pig.
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“The Labour Department is saddened by the death of the person and expresses its deepest sympathy to his family,” the department said to CNN. “We will complete the investigation as soon as possible to identify the cause of the accident, ascertain the liability of the duty holders and recommend improvement measures. We will take actions pursuant to the law if there is any violation of the work safety legislation,” a department spokesman said.
The city’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department also offered its sympathies to the family of the butcher, stating that it was “very concerned about the work accident.” The department said: "The department expressed its deepest condolences to the deceased’s family and has requested the contractor to provide all necessary assistance to his family." However, the department also remarked that “the slaughtering service remains normal and the supply of fresh meat is not affected.”
It is not clear if the pig managed to escape. Pigs are rarely violent creatures except when protecting their young ones. Moreover, they are considered highly intelligent.
