Wild Boar Trapped By NParks & Euthanised Humanely For Public Safety
Yishun has always been a town where people expect the unexpected.
But an unfortunate woman probably didn’t expect to get knocked down by a wild boar while shopping in a bustling town plaza.
After about 10 days of being at large, the boar has finally been caught and euthanised by the authorities.
Yishun Park has also reopened to the public following its closure for the search.
Wild boar trapped on 20 Mar
Following queries from MS News, the National Parks Board (NParks) said their officers had successfully trapped the wild boar on Sunday (20 Mar).
This was after they’d been tracking it for 1 week.
Soon after the incident on 9 Mar, Nee Soon GRC MP Carrie Tan said NParks had gone searching for the animal in Yishun Park.
Sad ending for wild boar
Sadly for the wild boar, it’s story didn’t end well.
After being trapped, the boar was euthanised humanely, NParks said.
They cited public public safety as the reason for the decision.
Yishun Park has reopened
As for Yishun residents, at least they’ll be able to make use of Yishun Park again.
It has reopened for visitors, NParks said, and they’re working to remove the remaining hoardings.
Photo taken at Yishun Park on 14 Mar
Source
Another Nee Soon GRC MP, Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, said on Facebook that the hoardings were put up for public safety and to contain the wild boar.
He thanked residents for their understanding as the park was cordoned off.
Photo taken at Yishun Park on 14 Mar
Source
The MP also said “the residents” who encountered the wild boar were “recovering well”.
Woman was unconscious for over 15 mins
That’s great to hear, considering the woman who was knocked down was reportedly unconscious for more than 15 minutes following the heavy collision at the open-air plaza near Block 844 Yishun Street 81.
She was subsequently conveyed to the nearby Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) for medical treatment.
Besides knocking the woman down, the wild boar also caused havoc by crashing into the glass door of a nearby spectacle shop and storming through a coffee shop before fleeing the scene.
Wild boar caught on CCTV
The wild boar’s antics were even caught on CCTV.
A day after the incident, a video clip was posted on Facebook by Shin Min Daily News, probably recorded by a neighbourhood shop.
At the time stamp of 6.43pm on 9 Mar, the animal was seen running through a bread shop.
A man carrying a small child was forced to narrowly avoid the boar by backtracking his steps.
Consider how we can live with wild animals
The wild boar lived a very eventful last few days, and even evaded capture for quite a long time, but its time was apparently up.
It’s not the 1st time a rouge wild boar had to be put down – in Feb 2021, another wild boar that attacked 2 people also met the same fate.
What is still uncertain is why it ventured into the town plaza, as boars tend not to enter crowded areas.
While the safety of humans is paramount, Singaporeans might need to consider how we can live in harmony with wild animals in our midst, if we don’t want more of such incidents.
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Featured images adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim on Facebook.
