In Jiangmen, Guangdong, China, a wild boar weighing over 150 kilograms named "Zhu Wumei" has surprisingly become associated with the word "gentle." Surrounded by many tourists and often being petted, when visitors offer her an apple, "Zhu Wumei" keeps nodding her head in a "bowing" gesture.
Zhu Wumei's Name Has Significance
According to Chinese media such as "Cover News," Zhu Wumei, who is almost 9 years old, is an internet-famous wild boar living near Guanyin Temple in Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province. Injured as a piglet, she was rescued by humans and has since lived near the temple. She has a gentle temperament, especially loves eating apples, and responds to tourists with nods. She has become a well-known local animal.
The report states that Zhu Wumei's story began in 2018 when she was about one-year-old. She was caught and injured by a hunting trap in Gui Feng Mountain, Jiangmen, but was rescued and rehabilitated by temple staff, although she permanently lost one toe. After recovering, she did not return to the wild but chose to settle down in the back mountain of Guanyin Temple, where she has now lived for eight years. Zhu Wumei's name refers to Buddhism's "Five Precepts": no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no false speech, and no intoxication.
Ms. Liang, a volunteer at Guanyin Temple, mentioned that Zhu Wumei has a gentle disposition and has lived here for seven or eight years, never harming any visitor. She never attacks people, but she does have her own personality: if she doesn't like the food, she'll use her snout to flip the bowl. Apples are her "favorite treat," and when tourists hold up apples and say "Happy New Year" or "Wish You Prosperity," she will nod in response like bowing, which looks extremely cute.
Tang Lijun, head of the School of Food and Biotechnology at Sichuan Vocational and Technical College, analyzed that judging by her appearance, Zhu Wumei may be a hybrid between a wild boar and a domestic pig. Her "understanding of human nature" mainly comes from her long-term close interactions with humans, from which she receives stable care and positive communication.