The two-year-old Wei Tsao, known affectionately as Keke, was playing in the garden of his parents' house, in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, when they decided to step away for a moment.
The toddler then crawled into the pig pen where the protective sow mauled him to death in an attempt to protect her newborn piglets.
After which, she began chewing on the boy's head.
During this time, the young boy then let out terrified screams which led to his parents rushing to him.
However, it was too late.
Distraught father Sun Tsai, 25, said:
"We had popped inside for just a couple of minutes when we heard the screams.
"When we came out we saw the pig about 80 metres away gnawing on Keke's head."
According to Ghana Nation, the villagers rushed to the scene as soon as they heard what had happened.
They then grabbed the pig and tied it to a tree and killed it.
After which, they cut its stomach open.
The contents of the pig's stomach revealed fragments of Keke's skull and hair.
The villagers showed the fragments to authorities to prove the pig had killed him.
Village leader Cheng Yuan, 62, said:
"This is a horrible tragedy. We had to cut the pig open, not as an act of revenge but to prove to the authorities that it had indeed killed and eaten Keke."
A police spokesman said:
"Sows are often docile creatures but pregnant pigs and ones who have just given birth can be very protective and turn aggressive towards anything they consider to be a threat to their piglets.
"We urge farmers to keep their pigs in their pens."
Probably best not to try to milk pigs.
We have had sows, their litters and our own young children, at the same time, on our farm.
We (my wife and I) were very watchful. We succeeded in protecting our children. They are now adults.
There are dangers in life, at all stages. It is sad when a young child is lost. Or any young person. That is a benefit of growing old. Death becomes more acceptable, one even comes to desire it.
ned