HAKKA PEOPLE TOUCH A SLAUGHTERED GIANT PIG IN HSINCHU, 2003-08-17 (photo)

Hakka people in Taiwan touch and admire a slaughtered giant black pig, the 960-kg winner of the "Pigs of God" contest, at a sacrificial ceremony in Yimin Temple in Taiwan's Hsinchu county August 17, 2003. The animal was one of about 30 pigs that were killed as part of a traditional ritual to worship the ancestors of the Hakka people. Animal rights groups have criticised the religious 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 SK/FA