Wild boar caught and put down in Hong Kong after attacking boy, 15, and woman outside MTR station
- Teenage boy bitten on hand and woman on leg, according to police
- Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department euthanised 135 wild boars between January 5 and May 17 this year
A wild boar was caught and put down after it bit two passers-by outside a railway station in Hong Kong on Friday.
The attack took place outside the Lok King Street exit of Fo Tan MTR Station in Sha Tin district soon after 11.15am.
According to police, the wild pig attacked a 15-year-old boy and a woman.
A police spokesman said the teenager was bitten on the hand and the woman on the leg.
The pair were taken to Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin for treatment.
According to the force, officers from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department were called in.
The spokesman said police and conservation officers had searched the area.
The pursuit ended when the boar was shot with a tranquilliser gun on a slope off Fo Tan Road at about 1pm. The department said the animal was later euthanised.
The department began euthanising wild pigs in November 2021 after a spike in the number of boars attacking humans and entering urban areas.
The policy replaced the government’s previous tactic of capturing, sterilising and relocating the animals.
Since November 2021, the department has euthanised 455 wild boars and it estimates that Hong Kong is home to 2,500 of the animals.
The department euthanised 135 wild boars, or one per day on average, between January 5 and May 17 this year.
In 2022, authorities reported an average of 94 sightings and nuisance reports per month. From January to April this year, there have been 359, an average of 91 every month.
