What's the deal with all these pigs?

Why do media images related to the Beijing olympics keep using pigs in logos and promotional stuff. A U.K. breakfast program has been using an animated olympiad pig dancing athletically over typography of the Beijing Olympics. Google is using a pig on it's 'google' image with the olympics coming up during mouse over. There's nothing I can find to explain this anywhere on the internet and it's supposed to be the Chinese year of the rat not the pig. Anyone know what's going on, this isn't some sinister plot by the pork industry is it?