CHILD ABUSE!!! 5-year-old girl tied up with pigs to 'stop her running away' - Photos

A five-year-old girl was kept tied up living with pigs because her elderly father was afraid she would run away.
Little Xiao Tuetong was discovered by Chinese authorities after neighbours raised the alarm.
She was found without pants, surrounded by faeces and strapped to a pole in the kitchen in the remote Nahuo township, near the city of Maoming in southern China's Guangdong province.

Squalid: The girl was found in poor conditions

Local Hsin Fang, 35, said: "We often heard her crying and it was well-known that she wasn't looked after very well but after seeing her tied up during a visit, one of the people here decided to inform authorities."
When social services arrived, her elderly dad Xiao Tuan, 70, told them he had had no energy to take care of the child since his wife Tai, 35, had been diagnosed with mental health problems.
He said keeping his wife cared for took up all his time.

Struggled: The girl's dad said he had no energy to take care of the child when his wife fell ill

He said: "I don't always tie her up. Sometimes she is allowed to play with the pigs.
"But she keeps trying to run away and I was worried she might hurt herself – it was for her own good."
The girl, who was unable to speak, was taken to hospital where she was given a check up and a clean bill of health but will still be returned to her father.

Pole: What Xiao Yuetong was tied to

A spokesman for social services told mirror uk that: "She was neither malnourished nor abused.
"Her father was not being malicious as he does deeply care for his daughter. He is just trying to cope.
"We are trying to find a kindergarten where she can be cared for to help her father to manage better."