ZAP // NightCafe Studio
A farmer allegedly transported a pig to the slaughterhouse by air, with a drone, in a no-fly zone. An entire village was left in the dark.
We have officially reached an era where “when pigs fly” is no longer just an expression they tell us when we ask for credit at the grocery store.
In southwest China, a farmer in Tongjiang County, Sichuan Province, tried transport a pig to a slaughterhouse using a drone. The region is mountainous, the roads are complicated, and the farmer apparently decided that the solution was air delivery of cattle.
What followed almost immediately became a local legend.
During the first flight, early in the morning on January 24, the drone’s tether got tangled up in a high voltage cable. The pig ended up suspended in the air for hours.
The village was no electricity for about 10 hours. Due to a small miscalculation, an entire community had the candlelit experience, whether they wanted to or not, says the magazine.
Epic blackout in China caused by a pig flying on a drone
A humorous incident occurred at the end of January. A farmer decided to use a drone to transport an animal across mountainous terrain, but the drone hit power lines.
As a result, the pig got stuck, and thousands of people…
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv)
According to an employee of the local energy supply company, they were sent 12 workers to repair the lineand repair costs reached 10,000 yuan (about 1,200 euros). Electricity at the end of the day, after a long period of people waiting for the modern world to start working again.
The farmer blamed poor visibilityas it was still dark at the time. Authorities were not impressed.
Police have opened an investigation, and say the farmer is suspected of having flown the drone in a no-fly zonein addition to overloading the device.
The collection of evidence is still ongoing and, if the infractions are confirmed, the farmer could face administrative punishment and having to compensate for equipment losses.
It’s easy to laugh because the title is objectively absurd. A “flying pig” sounds like a joke. But also says something about how common drones have become in rural areas, especially in mountainous regions where transporting animals by vehicle can be slow, expensive and frustrating.
The people are using drones for real work. Sometimes this work involves animals. Sometimes it involves learning, in real time, that the power lines don’t care about our efforts.
