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Wild boar shot, euthanised after 'rampaging' and posing danger: police

A wild boar was shot by police on Punggol West Flyover on 21 November 2017. (Photo: ACRES)
A wild boar was shot by police on Punggol West Flyover on 21 November 2017. (Photo: ACRES)

A wild boar was shot by police on Tuesday (21 Nov) after it went “rampaging”, and was subsequently euthanised by animal welfare group ACRES, police said.

The boar had been injured in an accident with a car on Punggol West Flyover before police and ACRES personnel arrived on the scene after 7pm.

The animal was lying on the ground at first, but got up and began charging at police officers and members of the public, the police said in a statement on Tuesday night.

Officers at first fired Tasers at the boar, which did not stop it from attacking.

“As the wild boar was rampaging and was a danger to the people within the vicinity, an officer had to draw his revolver to fire a shot at it, to stop it from injuring anyone,” said the police.

The boar, which police said measured 1.5m from head to tail, was shot in the neck. It was handed over to ACRES and euthanised later.

No one was injured in the incident, said police.

ACRES said in a statement that the animal probably became defensive after feeling cornered, and that it had to be euthanised due to injuries from the gunshot. “We have assessed this particular case and it is a very unfortunate situation where the boar most certainly became very stressed due to injuries sustained from its collision with a vehicle.”

“Wild animals in general are shy animals who usually move away when sighted. However in this situation, the cramped area with high human traffic stressed the boar,” ACRES added.

ACRES urges the public not to approach wild animals and to keep a distance when they are encountered.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said in a statement that it would monitor the situation in the Punggol area closely, and is working to manage wild boars and ensure public safety.

“We are exploring various measures, such as erecting barriers to prevent wildlife from encroaching onto roads, and putting up signages about wildlife crossings at specific locations to warn motorists,” said AVA.

AVA advises the public to call the AVA hotline at 1800-476-1600 to report wild boar sightings.

Wild boars and humans are increasingly coming into contact with each other in Singapore. A man was injured after being attacked by a wild boar in Hillview last month.

There has been a series of incidents involving wild boars this year. In July, a woman needed 60 stitches for a leg wound after being attacked by a wild boar in the Upper Thomson area.

In September, three people were sent to hospital after an accident involving three vehicles and a wild boar at Lentor Avenue on 29 September. In a separate accident on 28 September, a wild boar on the Ayer Rajah Expressway caused an accident that sent two people to hospital.