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The National Parks Board (NParks) has culled around 50 wild boars within Zhenghua Nature Park, located in Bukit Panjang, since 2019.
Population managed in three ways
NParks shared the statistic at a media briefing on Jun. 23, 2023.
The agency said that it was stepping up its plans to manage the wild boar population at the park for public safety due to a "higher chance of encounter with wild boars".
The measures include:
- Setting up more exclusion fencing and cattle grid to prevent wild boars from entering the nature park,
- Direct population control via culling and,
- Reducing human sources of food available to wild boars through educational outreach and cleaning.
Two residents have been injured by wild boars in the area in the past two months.
Earlier this month, NParks shared that it had trapped eight wild boars in the Zhenghua area since May.
Since then, it has also installed exclusion fencing which prevent wild boars from straying out of forested areas and venturing into residential estates.
Wild boars are trapped and culled
A majority of the 50 boars that were culled were lone males which ventured out of the nature reserves to look for new foraging territories, said NParks.
Zhenghua Nature Park is used by the wild boars as a transit corridor between several forested areas around the park.
This includes Chestnut Nature Park and Central Catchment Nature Reserve in the east, and Dairy Farm Nature Park in the south.
The agency monitors the behaviour and the foraging range of these boars when they are sighted.
The number of traps deployed by NParks around Singapore depend on sightings and feedback from the public, or observations on the ground by NParks officers. Boars are culled via euthanasia.
Why isn't NParks sterilising wild boars?
In response to a question from the media on sterilising boars as an alternative to culling, Ryan Lee, Group Director of NParks' Wildlife Management, shared that sterilisation "may not be so practical" in Singapore.
Not only does it requires time and intensive resourcing before results can be seen, due to the high reproduction rate of wild boars, the agency would always be playing a game of "catch up" to the population.
"A combination of minimising their access to human food resources and by excluding them [from] urban environment would be a more effective and direct way of minimising human wildlife conflicts," he stated.
Wild boars have high reproduction rates
Wild boars are native to Singapore.
According to a study by local researchers which estimated the density of wild boars in Singapore rainforests using camera traps within nature reserves, five to six wild boars can be found per square kilometre. This is fewer than that of neighbouring countries, Lee shared.
Wild boars are omnivores and act as seed dispersers. They dig up roots when searching for food and help with soil nutrient recycling in the ecosystem.
They have a high reproduction rate, and can give birth twice a year to a litter of four to 12 piglets.
In Singapore, with the absence of large carnivores like tigers and leopards, there are no natural predators to control their population.
Residents attacked by wild boar in Bukit Panjang in stable condition
Member of Parliament for Bukit Panjang SMC Liang Eng Hwa also gave a doorstop interview at the park, and provided an update on the conditions of the two residents who were injured by wild boars in recent months.
In May, a woman was attacked by a wild boar in Bukit Panjang.
She required a blood transfusion and underwent no less than four surgeries on her right hand.
Another man was attacked while walking his dogs at Zhenghua Park in June.
He needed over 20 stitches on his left leg where the boar had bitten him.
Liang has visited both residents and shared that their conditions have stabilised.
He added that the woman's case was "a lot more serious", and she would still require more time for rehabilitation before making a full recovery.
"We are helping her in any way we can and we will continue to reach out to her," shared Liang.
What to do if you see a wild boar
If you encounter a wild boar, remain as calm as possible and move slowly away from the animal.
Keep a safe distance and do not corner or provoke the animal.
According to NParks, wild boars will only attack if they are cornered or if they feel threatened.
Female wild boars in particular are very protective of their young. If you see adults with young piglets, leave them alone.
Members of the public are advised against feeding any wildlife, including wild boars.
Top images via MaeGi AN/Google Maps and Canva.