A group of men were sent out to look for the wild boar that attacked two women in the area of Punggol Walk on Feb. 20, Member of Parliament for Punggol West SMC Sun Xueling revealed in a Facebook post.

Search party for the boar

20 men were also "activated" last night to look for the boar, and will continue searching to ensure "it does not come near to residents", Sun said.

Since yesterday night, Sun has been in contact with both the police and the National Parks Board (NParks).

Both have been providing her with updates on the situation throughout the day.

Meanwhile, NParks has installed several signs advising residents on the steps to take should they encounter a wild boar.

Sun also empathised with the two victims, saying that her "heart goes out to them", and that she hoped they would recover both physically and mentally from the incident.

What happened

In two separate incidents which occurred within 20 minutes of each other, two women were attacked by a wild boar around the area of Punggol Walk.

It is uncertain if it was the same boar.

The first woman was attacked at around 9:10pm at 308B Punggol Walk.

The second woman was bitten by the boar and apparently dragged along for about 1m, at around 9:30pm at 310A Punggol Walk.

Both women were conveyed to Sengkang General Hospital.

Mothership understands that the first woman had to undergo surgery for her injuries.

Wild boars associate humans with food

Another incident of a resident being injured by a wild boar occurred in November at Pasir Ris, near Sungei Api Api Park.

A survey was subsequently conducted to gather residents' views on how wildlife — chickens, stray dogs and wild boars — at Pasir Ris should be dealt with, with residents being given the option to leave the animals alone, allow them to remain in Pasir Ris but control their populations, or relocate and remove them from Pasir Ris.

Previous incidents of wild boars snatching food from parkgoers made the news as well.

Which led to nature lovers and a biologist explaining that feeding and prolonged contact with humans have led the animal to associate humans with food.

Like many other wild animals, wild boars will only attack if they are cornered or if they feel threatened, and female wild boars can be very protective of their young and can be easily provoked.

If you encounter a wild boar, NParks recommends three things to keep safe:

• Be calm and move slowly away from the animal
• Keep a safe distance and do not corner or provoke the animal
• If you see adults with young piglets, leave them alone

Members of the public may call NParks' Animal Response Centre at 1800-476-1600 to report any wild boar encounters.

Top photo from Mothership reader and Sun Xueling / FB