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August 26, 2009

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Pig man's audience squeals in delight

A PIG farmer in south China has come up with a novel way to induce a harmonious relationship with his swine: He's been singing to them for the past 13 years.

Neighbors have dubbed him "the pigs' good friend."

Huang Jiayou, who won a township singing contest in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region when he was 16, performs for his pigs every day before feeding them. His special audience seems to like the performance so much that the pigs won't touch their food until the songs have ended, the regional capital Nanning-based Nanguo Zaobao newspaper reported yesterday.

Huang's repertoire features more than 200 songs, and he's also bought 400 compact discs for his swine serenades.

Huang, 66, lives in Dongping Town in Guangxi. He decided to give his pigs the benefit of his vocal talents when he got into the swine-raising business in 1996. After all, it seemed to work for other animals. He had heard that hens lay more eggs when they're in a musical environment.

His first performance didn't turn out so well; the pigs panicked and ran around. So Huang lowered his voice and delivered a romantic melody, which seemed to have a calming effect. He's been doing it ever since at meal time.

Huang said his pigs grow faster than others because they eat more after listening to his music. When Huang is away on business, his wife takes the feeding chores, playing songs from Huang's CDs.

Huang is so convinced about the merits of music that he bought audio equipment and discs for his pigs.




 

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