HAKKA FARMER SPRINKLES WATER TO COOL DOWN HIS PIG IN HSINCHU, 2003-08-17 (photo)

Tien Chi-chou, a Hakka farmer, sprinkles water to cool down his giant black pig, a 860-kg porker who came in 5th place in the 'Pigs of God' contest, before a sacrificial ceremony in Hsinchu county, Taiwan August 16, 2003. The animal was among 30 pigs killed at the Yimin Temple in Hsinchu on August 17, 2003 as part of a religious ritual to worship the ancestors of the Hakka people. Animal rights groups have criticised the traditional practice, in which the pigs are castrated at a young age and force-fed to increase their weight before being slaughtered for the celebrations, and have called on Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian to stop it. REUTERS/Simon Kwong PP03080053 SK/FA