Wild pig eludes police after stand-off at Hong Kong luxury hotel
Shields and nets fail to stop animal from escaping after it was spotted outside Conrad International Hotel on Wednesday morning
A wild pig strayed into the concrete jungle in Admiralty, leading to a two-hour stand-off with police and conservation officers on Wednesday.
The incident began at about 7.45am when the young beast, measuring about 90cm in length, was spotted wandering outside Conrad International Hotel on Justice Drive, according to the police.
As officers reached the scene, the pig jumped into a flowerbed outside the hotel.
Before officers from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department arrived, police – some carrying shields – cordoned off the area to prevent the pig from escaping and to keep it away from passers-by and hotel guests.
The animal played hide-and-seek with conservation officers who, carrying shields and nets, approached and tried to capture it.
“Shortly after 10am, it eluded capture, ran across [Justice Drive], and fled towards a hillside before it disappeared,” a police spokesman said.
Police and conservation officers combed the area but found no trace of the animal.
At about 12.30pm, a passer-by called police after he spotted a pig at the junction of Kennedy Road near the Monmouth Park in Wan Chai. It was just several hundred metres away from the hotel.
“Police were told that it was running in the direction of Central,” the spokesman said.
He said that when officers arrived, there was no sign of the pig.
Police could not confirm if this was the same animal which managed to escape the dragnet in Admiralty.
Wild pigs have been known to invade hotel swimming pools and shopping malls to evade the summer heat.
Although official records are not kept of wild pig populations, there are estimates ranging from hundreds of the animals to thousands in steep forested areas adjacent to Hong Kong’s crowded neighbourhoods.
A photo posted by Kee Foong (@keepicks) on Nov 7, 2015 at 2:18am PST
