Wild boar in a tight spot

Straits Times 25 Jul 10;

Mr Hafizzan Shah and Ms Sharlene Tan, both from the animal welfare group Acres, helping to free the wild boar that was stuck in a barrier along Kranji Expressway yesterday. They were assisted by a tow truck driver who was passing by. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

Why did the wild boar try to cross the road? No one knew, but its body got stuck in a roadside barrier.

Yesterday's incident happened on the Kranji Expressway (KJE) near Woodlands.

An 11am phone call to animal welfare group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) triggered a rescue operation.

It took about an hour for a team that included Mr Hafizzan Shah, 26, an animal caregiver at Acres - with help from a tow truck driver - to set the boar free.

'It weighed 5kg to 7kg and was quite aggressive. While it had no major injuries, it had some abrasions likely caused by the constant rubbing against the (barrier),' said Mr Shah.

He said the rescue bid would have taken longer if tow truck driver Thambi Rajah had not stopped his vehicle to help.

Mr Rajah, 36, who has been a truck driver for 16 years, said: 'When I stopped, I thought a dog, not a wild boar, was stuck. The animal welfare people were trying their best to free it.

'I decided to help prise open the fencing, which did the trick.'

Once free, the wild boar wasted not another minute and bounded into the bushes near the Home Team Academy.

Said Mr Rajah: 'In my line, I have seen many strange cases. But this is the first time I have seen a wild boar stuck like this. It must be happy to be free again.'

Deepika Shetty