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‘It became docile when he touched it’: Chinese boy saves and keeps sheep as pet that had been doomed for slaughter
- The parents had thought it would be a good idea to buy a whole animal and use it for food
- But the boy vehemently disagreed with the plan, and the parents eventually relented
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![A boy [left] went viral in China after he convinced his parents to save a sheep they had been planning to slaughter. Photo: SCMP composite](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1200x800/public/d8/images/canvas/2022/09/09/b4a6d1cd-bed0-4875-b65c-d083e3f278c6_28f9d2b7.jpg?itok=3rMuveaK&v=1662687761)
A sheep in China can thank a seven-year-old boy for saving its life after the child insisted his parents refrain from butchering the animal and keep it as a pet.
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A viral video from Jiangsu province in eastern China showed the unidentified boy playing with and feeding his new pet and included a voice-over from his mother, surnamed Zhou, telling the story.
The boy’s parents had thought it would be a good idea to buy an entire sheep and slaughter it for food. So, they went to a local wet market and bought one for 1,800 yuan (US$260). They placed the sheep in a blue metal container and scheduled a butcher to visit their home later.
When the boy returned home, he discovered the sheep, and when he learned that his parents were planning to slaughter it for food, he demanded they change their minds.
Zhou said her boy begged them: “Please do not kill this poor sheep! It is a living animal.”
Zhou and her husband had not expected their son to push back so much against killing the sheep, so they gave up the initial plan and decided to keep it.
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