Woman injured in wild boar incident near Punggol condo
A screen grab of a video showing a wild boar at Waterbay executive condominium in Punggol. (Photo: Channel 8 reader)
SINGAPORE: A woman in her 30s was taken to hospital on Tuesday (Aug 28) after an encounter with a wild boar in Punggol.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it responded to a call for medical assistance at about 5.15pm along the road at 51 Edgefield Plains. This is outside Punggol Secondary School and near Waterbay executive condominium.
The school confirmed on Wednesday that the injured woman is an administrative employee at Punggol Secondary, adding that students have been told to be watchful of their surroundings in the wake of the incident.
A photo of a woman with a bloodied wound on her leg has been circulating on social media.
After the incident, the animal ran into the condominium's rubbish collection point, Channel 8 News reported, citing tip-offs from members of the public.
The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) said it received a call at around 5pm about a wild boar in the area.
"We understand that there was an apparent conflict between the boar and a lady but unfortunately we do not have any information on that," deputy chief executive Kalai Vanan said. "To our knowledge, the boar subsequently entered a condominium where it found itself stranded."
The wild boar was sedated and relocated, he said, adding that it was likely that the animal had come from Lorong Halus.
"Development works in that area could have caused this individual to venture out and subsequently finding itself lost in the urban area," he said.
"Feeding by people may have had a part to play as well to cause the animal to venture out as well."
READ: Wild boar sightings in Punggol not uncommon but rarely a problem, say residents
Responding to Channel NewsAsia's queries on Wednesday, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said it contacted ACRES after being alerted to a wild boar at the condominium.Â
"The wild boar likely came from forested areas at the end of Punggol and/or Coney Island, where boars are known to be present," said AVA, adding that the animal has been relocated at the Lorong Halus area.Â
The agency said it has been working closely with relevant stakeholders including the National Parks Board, ACRES, Wildlife Reserves Singapore and the National University of Singapore to "mitigate encounters with wild boars and ensure public safety".
"Some measures which have been implemented include putting up signage about wildlife crossings at specific locations to warn motorists," said AVA.Â
