The date of the lunar new year in China changes every year, but always falls between January 21 and February 21. And like in any home, whether from the east or the west, the custom is to celebrate it. So a farmer from Sichuan had the idea of bring down some pigs from their mountain farm to sacrifice them.
The normal thing would be to use a truck, but this farmer chose a way that on paper seemed more comfortable (for him, of course, but not for the animal): use a drone. Their experiment did not last long: the first pig became trapped in a power line, causing a blackout that left thousands of the village’s inhabitants without electricity.
Early in the morning of Saturday, January 24, a villager in Tiefu, Tongjiang County, Bazhong City, Sichuan, had that happy idea. It was so early that there was little visibility, as reported by the South China Morning Postso the rope got tangled in a high tension cable, leaving the drone and the pig suspended in the air and causing a short circuit. And among the risks involved in carrying such a load in the event of possible falls on people and objects, it seems like the least of the problems.
It is true that if we talk about drones, China plays in another league as we have already seen in practically any self-respecting celebration and also in war scenarios. Without going any further, have developed models capable of shooting at 100 meters away with surgical precision. And that a farmer has a drone at home capable of lifting a pig and the confidence of being able to bring this adventure to a successful conclusion is another test that would probably occur to few farmers in Spain.
“Until pigs fly” does not apply in China
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The villager and those helping him tried to control the situation and carry out a rescue without success, until finally the authorities had to intervene. Up to 12 workers were needed to restore electricity at five in the afternoon, after carrying out emergency repairs with a cost of 10,000 yuan (about 1,200 euros) and 10 hours of blackout.
According to the Hong Kong mediathe authorities are investigating the event because it would be an unauthorized flight as it is a no-fly zone. As explains Sinahe Regulation on the Protection of Electrical Installations prohibits people from flying kites, balloons or other floating objects within a radius of 300 meters on either side of overhead power lines. And if you do so, you must have the express authorization of the county energy department and apply relevant security measures. In case of non-compliance, you face civil and even criminal liability charges.
Furthermore, although there are agricultural drones that are already used in agricultural facilities, with their loading restrictions and restricted areas, their use to transport live animals It is not allowed either: Of course, carrying a large animal moving does not seem like the safest thing in the world for the stability of a drone.
And if we talk about animal ethics, even worse. However, China does not have a comprehensive national animal welfare and protection law: its current regulations It focuses more on health and biosafety than on ethics of well-being. The Asian media does not report on the condition of the unfortunate pig after the air incident, but given its tragic fate, the omens are not good.
The drone accidents are the order of the day in China. The Sing Tao echoes the data of the Sichuan Provincial Agricultural Mechanization Association and these events are quite common: in 2024 alone and in that province alone there were more than 40 safety accidents caused by illegal operations that ended with injuries, property damage and electrical failures.
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