Taipei - An animal rights group on Monday protested Taiwanese scientists' genetically engineering two pink fluorescent pigs, calling the project "absurd" and "meaningless."

"If they are doing it for the happiness of human beings or animals, then maybe it is worthwhile. But I don't see any proper purpose for breeding fluorescent pigs," Chu Tseng-hung, director- general of the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan.

"If the experiment is only to create sensation and attract media attention, then it is meaningless and should not be encouraged," he said.

On Monday, National Taiwan University (NTU) unveiled its second batch of fluorescent pigs at the Yilan Green Expo in Yilan County, northeast Taiwan.

NTU claimed it used fluorescent cells from coral and injected them into 69 pig embryos, which were implanted into two pigs. One pig had a miscarriage, while the other one gave birth to two fluorescent piglets on April 28.

The two piglets are pink inside and out, and glow in the dark. The Yilan County Government called it a scientific breakthrough because they are the first "pink pigs" in the world.

This is NTU's second success in breeding fluorescent pigs. In January 2006, NTU researchers produced two green fluorescent piglets by adding genetic material from jellyfish into normal pig embryos.

The researchers hoped the pigs could boost Taiwan's stem cell research, as well as helping with the study of human disease.