A pig in China has proved it's not just cats that have nine lives, after surviving last month's earthquake.

Thirty-six days after an earthquake devastated southwestern China leaving 90,000 people either dead or missing, soldiers came across the fortunate porker.

It had been trapped beneath debris at a collapsed pig farm in Sichuan, and survived by drinking rainwater and munching its way through a bag of charcoal.

The animal's owner Wan Xingming said: "When I bought it, it weighed more than 50 kilograms. After feeding it for 13 months, it grew to 300 kilograms. It was buried after the earthquake hit the area, and when they dug it out, it still weighed 180 kilograms."

The pig has been dubbed Zhu Jianqiang, which translates as "strong pig", and has become a symbol of perseverance and survival.

State media said a local museum bought the pig for 3,008 yuan (£222) and will look after it for the rest of its life.

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