S'pore woman, 34, sues NParks for S$39,827 in special damages after wild boar attack at bus stop

A woman has brought a lawsuit against the National Parks Board (NParks) over a 2023 incident where she was attacked by a wild boar at a Bukit Panjang bus stop.

Durga Devi Subramaniam filed the suit on Apr. 29, seeking damages including S$39,827.10 for medical expenses, transport costs, and loss of earnings, CNA reported.

NParks is also facing another separate civil lawsuit from a pair who said they allegedly tripped and fell over a temporary cable cover at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

The suit over the wild boar attack

The attack that Durga experienced on May 1, 2023, made headlines at the time.

According to court documents cited by CNA, she said she was attacked by a wild boar at around 11:50pm that night at a bus stop along Bangkit Road.

Durga, who was 34 then, claimed she was bitten and "caught and tossed three times" by the animal.

She suffered injuries to her right calf, pointer finger, right middle finger, right palm, and buttocks, requiring several surgical procedures.

A medical report submitted for the suit stated she had a permanent disability to her right hand as a result of the nerve injury.

Durga argued that the boar attack was the result of negligence and/or breach of duty of care by NParks.

She said it happened because NParks was negligent in managing the presence of wild boars near roads and residential areas, failing to properly manage the animals to prevent human injury, and neglecting the construction or upkeep of fences.

She also alleged that NParks did not exercise reasonable care in protecting people and managing human-wild boar interactions.

Apart from the S$39,827.10 in special damages, Durga is also seeking general damages including for pain and suffering, and damages for loss of earning capacity, loss of future earnings arising from an alleged permanent disability, and future medical expenses.

'All reasonable efforts' made: NParks' defence

NParks is contesting Durga's claim, denying the allegations of negligence, CNA reported.

The agency argued that it had exercised "all reasonable efforts" to manage Singapore's wild boar population and the risks to public health and safety.

It brought up examples such as its wildlife management programme, which included population monitoring, public education, enforcement against the illegal feeding of wildlife, and removal of wild boars where necessary.

Regarding the incident, NParks said the circumstances that caused it were beyond its control.

It explained that about five minutes before the alleged attack on Durga, there was a traffic accident report of a wild boar struck by a vehicle along the same stretch of road.

NParks went on to argue that Durga's own negligence possibly contributed to the incident.

She failed to keep a proper lookout, take reasonable care for her own safety, keep a safe distance from the wild boar, and pay attention at all times, the agency said.

The suit over the Botanic Gardens falls

A second, separate lawsuit concerns a fall at the Singapore Botanic Gardens on Jul. 27, 2025, CNA reported.

Lim Fon Kui and Wong Sung Mui said that, while walking beside Swan Lake towards the car park at Tanglin Gate, they tripped over a temporary cable cover.

According to medical reports, Lim was diagnosed with bruises on his right shoulder and right knee, and Wong fractured her right knee and sustained abrasions to her right wrist.

In their lawsuit, the pair argued that NParks created a tripping hazard by laying electrical cables on a cover across a walkway used by members of the public.

Lim and Wong are seeking general and special damages that add up to more than S$11,000.

Standard design used: NParks' defence

NParks also denied the allegations of negligence in this case, according to CNA.

The agency said the cable cover was not installed by NParks or its employees, but by a subcontractor of Pico Art International, who was engaged for the festival through a government tender process.

Thus, NParks was entitled to rely on Pico to manage the safety of the event infrastructure. It argued that it was not vicariously liable for any act or omission by the contractor.

NParks added that the cover was a standard design commonly used to safely route electrical cables across pedestrian areas, and was installed to reduce the risk of tripping over exposed cables.

On the incident, NParks said that it happened at about noon in daylight conditions, and so the cable cover would be clearly visible.

The agency argued that Lim and Wong might have caused or contributed to their falls through their own negligence, by not maintaining a proper foothold.

It also said the pair failed to take reasonable care for their own safety, "observe an open and obvious feature" of the pathway, and avoid a "visible feature despite clear daylight conditions".

Both cases are scheduled to be heard in court on Aug. 21.