Wild boar visit closes Causeway Bay playground
Causeway Bay playground gets a surprise visit from a lost boar, but capture is not far away
A children's playground in Causeway Bay was forced to close for more than three hours when a wild pig invaded yesterday.
Police were called shortly after 10.45am when a male passer-by saw the boar wandering in the Wun Sha Street playground opposite Fook Hing Court.
"As the passer-by feared the wild pig might run out and attack the public, he closed the front gate to prevent the animal from escaping," a police officer said.
The boar did try to escape and was seen ramming into the gate and railings, injuring its mouth.
Several policemen carrying plastic shields stood guard outside the front entrance.
Conservation officers arrived shortly after midday. The capture began at 2pm, after a government veterinarian with a tranquiliser gun arrived. As the pig was hiding in bushes in the playground, the veterinarian first fired a tranquilliser dart.
"After being shot with the dart, the pig ran wild in the playground," one witness said.
"The veterinarian then shot the second dart. One or two minutes [later], the pig passed out and collapsed on the ground."
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said the pig was finally captured at about 2.30pm.
It was put in a cage before being taken to a government animal management centre in Sheung Shui for examination.
A spokeswoman for the department said the male pig was about 1.3 metres long and weighed more than 60kg.
"There were scratches on its mouth, but no other external wounds were found on the pig," she said.
The department's veterinarians would examine the animal before considering whether it was appropriate to release it back into the countryside.
