SINGAPORE: A man in his forties was injured and taken to hospital after being attacked by a wild boar near a bus stop at Hillview Road on Thursday morning (Oct 19).

Sales specialist Olga, 30, told Channel NewsAsia that she was walking to the MRT station with her husband at around 8.30am when she saw the attack.



"I saw an animal - I thought it was just a big dog with owner - but in two to three seconds, (the) animal start(ed) to attack the man and he fell down and scream(ed), he was really in pain," she said.

She rushed over to help with her husband, and was joined by another man, who took a bamboo cane from his car and started to hit the boar. "It worked, and (the) boar made his escape down to the road," Ms Olga said.

The boar was then hit by a bus, she added. Channel NewsAsia understands the boar has died.

Another man then stopped his car and brought a first aid kit, which he and Olga's husband used to start bandaging the man's wounds.



The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to an incident outside 25, Hillview Avenue at 8.43am and dispatched an ambulance. The man had "cuts and lacerations" on both his legs, said SCDF, adding that the victim was taken conscious to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

IT consultant Dan Ranjith, 33, was on his way to work at 8.50am when he noticed the commotion on the other side of the road. "I was walking on the streets and noticed that the boar was lying down and surrounded by police," he told Channel NewsAsia.

"When I saw the boar (it) was still alive and moving," he added.

Photos circulating online showed the boar lying on its side on the pavement next to a bus stop. At least two police cars were at the scene and the area was cordoned off with police tape.

The boar appeared to still be on the pavement nearly two hours after the attack, with lawyer Maurice Oon, 54, telling Channel NewsAsia that he was in a taxi when he saw the "big, dead wild boar lying on the pavement" at around 10.15am.

Member of Parliament for Chua Chu Kang GRC (Bukit Gombak) and Mayor of South West District Low Yen Ling said in a Facebook post that the injured man was receiving "the medical care that he needs" in hospital.



She added that she has been in touch with the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), Land Transport Authority and the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society to ensure that "follow-up procedures are in place" regarding the boar and the safety of members of the public.

"Should you encounter any wild boars, please be advised to not approach or provoke the animal," she added.



WILD BOAR SIGHTINGS IN THE AREA NOT COMMON: AVA



The AVA said in a statement that wild boar sightings in the area are not common and the animal likely emerged from nearby forested areas.

The authority will be putting up signs and will educate residents on what to do when they encounter wild boars.

"AVA is monitoring the situation and is working with relevant agencies to put up signage," it said. "AVA is also working with the community to create awareness and educate residents on what to do when they encounter wild boars."

It is also working with various agencies, such as the National Parks Board and Wildlife Reserves Singapore, to implement measures to "mitigate encounters with wild boars and ensure public safety".

Some possible measures AVA is exploring include putting up signs about wildlife crossings at specific locations to warn motorists, and erecting barriers to prevent wildlife from encroaching onto roads.

This comes after a series of incidents involving wild boars in Singapore.

Two people were injured in September after a wild boar at the Ayer Rajah Expressway caused an accident. One day later, three others were injured in a car accident involving a wild boar at Lentor Avenue.

A woman was also attacked by a wild boar in July this year, and needed 60 stitches for a wound in her right leg after the incident at a park in the Upper Thomson area.

A large group of boars was also spotted near Tuas bus terminal earlier this year.

The AVA said it would like to remind members of the public not to approach, disturb or try to catch wild boars.



"The public should keep a safe distance from the wild boars and avoid confronting or cornering them. Do not interact with the wild boars and keep young children and pets away from them," the authority said.