Wild boars believed to have entered Zhenghua estate due to park's damaged gate

SINGAPORE - Wild boars from Zhenghua Nature Park are believed to have entered the Zhenghua estate through a damaged gate, raising concerns for the safety of children and seniors.

The residents of the estate in Bukit Panjang are being urged not to feed the animals, and to stay calm and walk away should they encounter a wild boar.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday (March 15), Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui, MP for Holland-Bukit Timah's Zhenghua ward, said concerned residents have sent him videos and pictures of wild boar sightings, and that he is equally concerned.

He said officers from the National Parks Board (NParks) have been on nightly stakeouts in the estate for the past three weeks, and it is believed there is now only one male boar left in the area.

"NParks has detected that the wild boars likely entered via the perimeter gate that park users used to enter Zhenghua Nature Park," he said.

"As the gate was damaged and left opened, the boars entered... I seek residents' help to ensure the gates are closed and handled with care as previous gates were (also) damaged."

He added that new gate designs have been discussed with consideration for wheelchair users and that NParks will expedite the installation of these new gates.

Mr Chia also urged residents to stop feeding the animals and said the relevant agencies have been asked to step up their advisories and enforcement.

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"We have also detected feeding in our estates, specifically at Block 465 and 466, which probably attracted the boars," he said.

"I urge residents to stop feeding as it can attract not just boars, but pigeons too."

Pictures that accompanied Mr Chia's post showed a white plastic bag believed to contain food on the ground.

It also showed him at one of the park's gates, which had a security camera installed.

Separately, the wild boar that attacked a woman in Yishun last week remains at large.

Chinese evening daily Shin Min Daily News reported on Tuesday that more than 20 NParks officers have been deployed to work with the police and town council in the hunt for the boar in the past six days.

Members of public are advised to keep a safe distance from wild boars, and to remain calm and slowly move away should they encounter one.

Wild boar encounters may be reported to the Animal Response Centre at 1800-476-1600.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.