19 wild boars in Bukit Panjang put down since May after attacks on people; fences put up to prevent human-boar conflict

SINGAPORE — Since May, when recent wild boar attacks on people were first reported, 19 of the animals in the Bukit Panjang area have been trapped and removed by the National Parks Board (NParks), Senior Minister of State for National Development Tan Kiat How told Parliament on Monday (July 3) .

In May and June, two people were attacked by wild boars near Bukit Panjang Road and Zhenghua Nature Park.

The trapped animals were put down humanely, said NParks.

While it is one way to prevent human-boar conflict, the agency has also been installing exclusion fences and grates along a 2km stretch at Zhenghua Nature Park to reduce the possibility of the animals entering the area.

While Bukit Panjang and the adjacent Zhenghua Nature Park do not have a resident wild boar population, the animals appear there from time to time as the estate is close to nature reserves and other forested areas such as Chestnut Nature Park and Dairy Farm Nature Park, explained Mr Tan.

Three sites in Chestnut Avenue, Bangkit Underpass and below the Gali Batu Flyover were identified for the installation of exclusion fences and grates with gaps, called cattle grids, to keep the boars away.

Those sites were deemed by NParks to be possible access points for the animals to cross over to residential areas.

Work was completed in late June at Bangkit Underpass, and the other two sites will be fenced up by end-August.

At the same time, NParks is also working with the grassroots and the Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council to inform the community about proper food waste management to reduce food sources that may attract wild boars, added Mr Tan.

Mr Tan was responding to queries on Monday from Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Bukit Panjang) and Mr Edward Chia (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC), both of whom asked about the reasons for the recent attacks and further measures to prevent such incidents.

On May 1, a 34-year-old woman was attacked by a boar in Bukit Panjang and flung side to side before being thrown onto a road. She suffered multiple wounds and cuts on her right calf, buttock and arm.

In June, a 40-year-old man needed more than 20 stitches on his left leg after a wild boar attacked him at Zhenghua Nature Park.

The cattle grids and fences at Bangkit Underpass have been observed by NParks to be effective, Mr Tan said in response to Mr Liang's follow-up question. He added that wild boars tend to avoid stepping across existing cattle grids in Pulau Ubin.

Mr Tan said the number of wild boars in Singapore's nature reserves is stable. A study conducted between 2019 and 2020 found that the number of wild boars was 6.5 boars per sq km in nature reserves and 5.22 per sq km at nature parks. 

"These densities are lower than those recorded in larger tracts of forest reserves in the region with similar vegetation types," he said.

In the larger ecology, wild boars play a role in dispersing seeds and helping with soil nutrient recycling. They help to regenerate native flora by uprooting young plants and saplings.

Wild boars do not have natural predators in Singapore and also have a high reproductive rate. Females can give birth twice a year, with a litter of up to 12 piglets.

"It is impossible to not have any wild boars in Singapore. Within our region, there are many wild boars and they can swim to Singapore as well," noted Mr Tan.

It was previously reported that around 50 boars had been culled by NParks within Zhenghua Nature Park since 2019, the majority of them were lone males venturing out of the nature reserves for new foraging territories.

During the June attack, the man was walking his dogs at night. It was reported that one of his dogs tried to ward off the boar, and chased after it.

Mr Chia asked if the presence of the dogs contributed to the incident. Mr Tan replied that pet owners are encouraged to avoid walking their dogs near forested areas at night due to low visibility and the possibility of encountering nocturnal animals.

Mr Tan added that if a pet owner sees a wild boar in the distance, he is advised to keep his dog close to him and "move away from the wild boar as quietly and as rapidly as possible".

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