Two women were attacked by a wild boar in two separate incidents on the same night on Feb. 20.
The attacks happened within 20 minutes of each other in the vicinity of Punggol Walk.
It is uncertain if they were attacked by the same animal.
First incident
The first incident occurred at around 9:10pm at 308B Punggol Walk, SCDF revealed in response to Mothership's queries.
Photos a Mothership reader sent showed the woman sitting on the sidewalk while being tended to by paramedics. Her clothes were stained with blood.
She was conveyed to Sengkang General Hospital.
Mothership understands that the woman is undergoing surgery today (Feb. 21).
Bit by wild boar in second incident
SCDF told Mothership that they received another call for assistance on the same day at around 9:30pm at 310A Punggol Walk.
One person was conveyed to Sengkang General Hospital.
According to Lianhe Wanbao, a wild boar had bitten the woman in her left leg. The woman was heard screaming for help.
The boar, which refused to let go of her, dragged her along for about 1 metre.
An eyewitness account reported by the Chinese daily said that a resident had borrowed an umbrella from her to fend off the wild boar, while a food delivery personnel rang his bicycle bell to chase it away.
Eventually, the wild boar let go of the woman and ran off.
Wild boar attacks
In November last year, it was reported that a woman had been attacked by a wild boar at Sungei Api Api park.
The National Parks Board (NParks) told The Straits Times that wild boars may associate humans with food providers when members of the public feed wild boars.
This may then lead to wild boars displaying aggressive behaviour towards people. They might also venture into urban areas in search of human sources of 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, Google streeview.