Boar's reign of terror ends
A SAVAGE wild boar that has raided vegetable fields and scavenged rubbish dumps in a remote Sai Kung settlement for several years ended up behind bars yesterday.
The 150-kilogram boar with razor-sharp tusks finally succumbed to three doses of tranquillisers after a stand-off with government pig hunters for more than four hours in Kwun Hang Tsuen.
The saga began at 2 am yesterday after barking dogs awoke villagers when the 11/2-metre-long marauder invaded a field, devouring vegetables and flowers.
It took 10 villagers with their dogs six hours to confine the Hampshire boar to a fenced area next to the rural community office.
But the animal continued to move around despite a tranquilliser dart that was fired into its abdomen by Agriculture and Fisheries Department veterinary officer Dr Richard Rubira.
The tranquilliser was administered at 8 am but it was not until 11.30 am that the powerful boar began calming down, allowing Dr Rubira to get closer and inject two more doses.
'It is not particularly difficult. There is no problem. It is an everyday job,' Dr Rubira said.
But terrorised villager Wong Moon, 62, who spent a sleepless night keeping a wary eye on the boar, could not relax until he saw the animal carried away.
'It is a monster, the biggest pig I have ever seen,' Mr Wong said.
The wild boar is being kept at the government kennels in Sheung Shui and is expected to be auctioned after the Lunar New Year, if it is found to be healthy.
