Wild boar attacks travellers at Hong Kong subway station

A woman and a 15-year-old boy suffered bite injuries when they were attacked by a wild boar in subway station. The female passenger was bitten on the leg and the teenager on the arm by the wild animal that they encountered on a moving escalator at the exit of Fo Tan MTR station in Hong Kong at around 11:15 am on July 28. CCTV footage shows the large boar walking down the escalator towards the platform area. A woman who happened to be going up the other escalator noticed the boar. The creature appeared to feel threatened by her presence and rammed her in the stomach, knocking her to the ground. It then gored her feet and shoes several times as she curled up on the floor and yelled for help. Shocked passersby rushed over to help the woman as both escalators were stopped. One of them was a young boy wearing sportswear who ran down the upper stairs before also being attacked by the wild hog. He tries chasing it away with his backpack but the animal charges towards the teen and also knocked him down and bit his arms. The boy then seized the opportunity when the boar stopped attacking and quickly escaped with the injured woman with the help of the other passerby. The animal was later captured and euthanised while the two injured had to be taken to hospital, local media reported. It reportedly showed no signs of injury when it was captured. Roni Wong Ho-yin of the Hong Kong Wild Boar Concern Group said: 'It is very rare for a wild boar to attack people unless they are threatened or injured.'We believe the boar felt threatened and naturally chose to protect itself.' The boar was about 150 pounds and four feet long, according to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. After a sudden rise in attacks on humans in 2021, Chinese authorities implemented a new policy to capture and kill boars entering urban areas. Before that, boars causing trouble in built-up areas were neutered and relocated. This was the 541st boar to be captured and killed by the department since the policy change, according to local media. Residents have also been ordered to stop feeding wild animals in an effort to reduce the number of attacks.