WILD BOAR ATTACKS

Shakira, wild boar attack survivor

Although reported to be rare, human fatalities resulting from wild pig attacks do occur. They were described by the ancient Greeks writings and documented as early as A.D. 753 with the death of Milo, the Archbishop of Trier and Reims, who was killed by a wild pig on a hunt in the Eifel Mountains of Germany. Human fatalities resulting from wild pig attacks were also recorded on headstones in the Severn Temple graveyard in England dating back to A.D. 1104.[Source: “Human fatalities resulting from wild pig attacks worldwide: 2000–2019 John J. Mayer, Savannah River National Laboratory, James E. Garabedian and John C. Kilgo, USDA]

A report on human fatalities by wild pigs synthesized worldwide reports of wild pig attacks on humans between 2000 and 2019 and documented 163 separate reports of fatal wild pig attacks that resulted in 172 human deaths. On average, 8.6 human deaths occurred annually due to wild pig attacks during those two decades. The majority of them resulted in a single human death; however, there were six cases in which an individual fatal attack resulted in 2–4 human deaths. These fatal wild pig attacks occurred in 29 countries, mostly within the wild pig’s native global range. Fatal attacks primarily occurred under non-hunting circumstances and involved seemingly unprovoked wild pigs. Under hunting circumstances, fatal attacks primarily involved provoked or wounded wild pigs. Fatal attacks typically involved a solitary wild pig, with 12 percent involving multiple pigs. Solitary pigs involved in fatal attacks were typically large boars that in most attacks exhibited defensive behaviors, although they discovered seven attacks during which the pig’s behaviors appeared to be predatory. Three fatal attacks were initially investigated as homicides.

Overall, victims of fatal wild pig attacks were between three and 85 years old and were traveling on foot when the attack occurred. The majority of victims of fatal attacks were adult (20–59 years old), male, traveling on foot, and working in isolation. Among all fatal attacks, 50 percent identified the cause of death, which included exsanguination/hemorrhagic shock, severe injury, heart attack, craniocerebral injury, severe injury/disembowelment/intestinal prolapse, and toxemia/septicemia. Fatal wild pig attacks occurred primarily in rural areas, with fatal attacks 390 percent more likely to occur in rural areas with large populations and at least 45 percent forested and agricultural cover. The greater the rural human population size within a country is, the greater the number of fatal wild pig attacks.

The wild pigs responsible for fatal attacks were mostly solitary animals (88 percent); however, groups or sounders were involved in 20 of the incidents. The specified sizes of two groups were reported as two and six with the rest simply described as “group,” “herd,” or “several.” Two groups were described as a sow with piglets. Of the 40 wild pigs involved for which a sex was either reported or discernible, 38 were male and two were female. Of the 24 animals for which an estimated or actual total body mass was reported, the mean weight was 109 kilograms, with a range from 45–200 kilograms. Of the 17 wild pigs that were subjectively described by victims or witnesses, seven were described as “adult,” seven as “large,” two as “big,” and one as “aged.” The nature of fatal attacks (e.g., whether predatory or defensive) was discernable for 135 of the 172 victims. Of these, seven victims appeared to be the targets of predatory attacks. Three victims had tissue consumed by the attacking pigs after being killed, whereas the other four victims were being carried or dragged away by attacking pigs when companions present at the scene chased the pigs away. Of those seven victims, the age class/sex groupings were as follows: one senior female, three senior males, one adult female, one adult male, and one minor female.

Wild pigs attack primarily using their teeth, which can cause deep soft tissue injuries through bites and punctures. Such wounds can be consistent with those produced by knives or other bladed instruments, such that the cause of death may even be mistaken for a stabbing homicide, though lacerations and punctures produced during a wild pig attack have typically ragged edges, and defensive injuries are typically lacking. In addition, pigs have a powerful bite, capable of crushing human bones.

When and Where Wild Boar Attacks Occur

range of wild boar: reconstructed range (green) and introduced (blue)

The report on human fatalities by wild pigs said: Most were in the Northern Hemisphere (94 percent). India had the largest percentage of fatal attacks (51 percent), followed by China (8 percent), Indonesia (5 percent), Japan and South Korea (4 percent each), Cambodia, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Malaysia, Morocco, Romania, and Vietnam (2 percent each). Other countries with fatal attacks (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, France, Greece, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Russian Federation, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Turkey, and United States) all had ≤1 percent of the total attacks. [Source: “Human fatalities resulting from wild pig attacks worldwide: 2000–2019 John J. Mayer, Savannah River National Laboratory, James E. Garabedian and John C. Kilgo, USDA]

Most attacks occurred in rural areas (97 percent) with a few in suburban areas. The authors of the report did not discover any fatal attacks that occurred in urban areas. Fatal attacks most frequently occurred in agricultural areas (croplands, groves/orchards; 44 percent of attacks) and forested areas (34 percent), followed by rural settlements/villages (15 percent), open areas (meadow, pasture, shrub/ scrub fields; three percent), and developed town/village/ developed area and on rural roads (each at two percent). All countries that had more than 2 percent of fatal attacks had at least some incidents in agricultural lands except for Malaysia, where all attacks occurred in woodland/forest areas.

Overall, fatal pig attacks increased with rural population sizes and with each of percent forested and agricultural land area. The odds of a fatal pig attack increased by 390 percent where there was a large rural population (ninetieth percentile of rural population sizes) and high percent forested and agricultural land area (45 percent of total land area). In contrast, the odds of a fatal pig attack decreased by 70–99 percent across all scenarios that included low levels of either rural population sizes (tenth percentile of rural population sizes), percent forested land area (10 percent of total land area), or percent agricultural land area (10 percent of total land area).

Fatal attacks occurred throughout the year, with no differences among months or seasons. Attacks under non-hunting circumstances likewise occurred with no seasonal or monthly differences. However, fatal attacks that occurred under hunting circumstances were more frequent in the winter and in October through January, with December being the peak month, consistent with most fall-winter hunting seasons. Attacks that occurred during other activities being performed by victims did not differ seasonally or monthly. Most attacks (86 percent) happened during daylight hours, with attacks under hunting circumstances occurring entirely during daylight hours. Less than half (45 percent) of the fatal attacks occurred in the morning, followed by afternoon (29 percent) and then by night (13 percent each), and lastly by evening (12 percent each). Of the 47 attacks for which a specific time of day was reported, 68 percent occurred between 0500 and 1200 hours, with a peak between 0700 and 1000 hours, and a relatively smaller secondary peak between 1400 and 1600 hours.

Most victims died at the scene, indicating the violent nature of those attacks. Silwal et al. (2016) noted that the fatality rate among victims of wild animal attacks in rural areas tends to be higher because of delays in rescue or treatment efforts. Indeed, most fatal wild pig attacks occurred in rural areas, with most victims not reaching medical care alive. Conversely, they found no reported fatalities in urban areas even though wild pig attacks increased in that landscape type during our study period. Barss and Ennis (1988) noted that most injured victims of wild pig attacks that reach a hospital alive do survive, although some may require prolonged hospitalization. The low probability of fatal attacks in urban areas could be related to increased presence of other humans (potential bystanders or companions who could readily help an attack victim), structures (e.g., vehicles or buildings victims could use to evade an attacking pig), as well as proximity to medical facilities.

Circumstances of Wild Boar Attacks

wild boar encounters in Singapore

The report on human fatalities by wild pigs said: Most fatal attacks occurred under non-hunting circumstances (88 percent), with a smaller number under hunting situations. Attacks under non-hunting circumstances occurred in rural and suburban areas, whereas attacks under hunting circumstances occurred only in rural areas. [Source: “Human fatalities resulting from wild pig attacks worldwide: 2000–2019 John J. Mayer, Savannah River National Laboratory, James E. Garabedian and John C. Kilgo, USDA]

Under non-hunting circumstances, the two most common causes of fatal attacks were unprovoked or threatened pigs. Some victims of fatal attacks under non-hunting circumstances were indirectly related to hunting, with the most frequent cause being wild pigs that had been recently wounded or shot in the larger areas surrounding the locations of the fatal attacks. Unprovoked attacks and sudden close encounters only occurred under non-hunting circumstances. Under hunting circumstances, the causes of the attacks were evenly divided between pigs being threatened and wounded animals. The primary causes of these attacks during daylight hours were animals threatened, unprovoked, and wounded animals. At night these were unprovoked, sudden close encounter, and animal threatened.

Sixty-two of the fatal victims had specific listed causes of death in the source accounts, the most common of which was exsanguination (massive loss of blood)/hemorrhagic shock. Specific injuries were listed for 114 of the victims with the most frequent being punctures/lacerations. Among the 77 victims for which the general location of injuries was given, most were on the lower portion of the body/below the waist, although 34 percent of the victims had injuries to both the lower and upper portions of the body. More female victims (56 percent) had injuries to both portions of the body compared to only 28 percent of the male victims. Most of the victims died at the scene of the attack (55 percent), following by those that died at a hospital (28 percent), and lastly those who died en route to a hospital or medical treatment (17 percent). None of the victims in suburban areas died en route to the hospital or medical treatment.

For adult victims of fatal wild pig attacks where most injuries are to the lower portion of the body, the typical cause of death is a lacerated femoral artery. The higher percent of fatal female victims that had injuries to both upper and lower portions of the body indicates these victims were likely knocked to the ground and then mauled. Such victims tend to sustain injuries to multiple parts of their bodies compared to the victims who were able to remain upright. Often, victims on the ground have multiple penetrating injuries, which can have fatal consequences. Injuries caused by wild pigs can also become grossly contaminated, though fatal complications from sepsis only accounted for two fatalities in our data.

Most fatal wild pig attacks were carried out by a single animal, typically a large male, consistent with previous reports. For groups of pigs involved in an attack, often only one or two animals in the group are involved in the attack. Most social groups of two or more wild pigs are composed of single or multiple family groups, with the largest animals in such groups being maternal females. In fact, two groups involved in fatal attacks in the present study each were described as a sow with her piglets, and the sow was reported to be the attacking animal.

Reasons for Wild Boar Attacks

where a wild boar attack in Singapore took place

The report on human fatalities by wild pigs said: The cause of attacks was identified in 49 percent of all cases. The leading cause of attack was the pig being provoked or threatened (39 percent), which included cases of wild pigs being chased, cornered, or attacked (e.g., by a farmer using farm tools or throwing stones to chase a pig out of agricultural fields or dogs fighting a wild pig). Most fatal attacks occurred when victims were engaged in high-risk activities (hunting, traveling on foot alone at night, defecating in the open) or were in areas that increased their probability of attack (i.e., croplands, gardens, orchards). For example, herding/tending livestock puts humans in close contact with wild pigs that may be attempting to prey on those domestic animals. The victim, while attempting to protect or save their domestic animals, likely would put themselves at risk in trying to fend off the attacking pig. Other activities likely represented chance encounters that turned aggressive with the pig being provoked or threatened. [Source: “Human fatalities resulting from wild pig attacks worldwide: 2000–2019 John J. Mayer, Savannah River National Laboratory, James E. Garabedian and John C. Kilgo, USDA]

All fatal victims were traveling on foot, which apparently rendered them more vulnerable to injury, and especially severe injury. In 14 percent of the fatal attacks, the victims had animals present with them at the time. These variously included domestic livestock (e.g., cattle, dogs, goats, sheep and chickens). The hoofed stock was being herded/tended, the domestic fowl were being tended/fed, and the dogs were either walking with the victim or being used in hunting. In half of the 22 attacks where animals were present with the victim, the animals were involved in the attack in some fashion (i.e., attacking or being attacked by the wild pig). Most of those were domestic dogs (91 percent), while one other incident involved a farmer feeding his sheep and chickens when a wild pig tried to attack those domestic animals. The fates of these animals were uninjured or escaped (81 percent), killed (14 percent), and injured (5 percent). All fatalities were dogs and occurred under hunting circumstances. The injury involved domestic sheep under non-hunting circumstances.

Most attacks occurred when pigs were either threatened (e.g., by the victim or by dogs accompanying the victim) or wounded (e.g., shot during a hunt, vehicle collision), which likely elicited an aggressive defensive response, as compared to a sudden close encounter where the pig was uninjured and could escape the scene. An aggressive defensive attack would have greater potential to result in more severe injuries to the victims. In addition, the actual cause of some attacks reported as unprovoked may have been by a previously wounded animal or due to a sudden close encounter in which the pig felt threatened. For those victims found dead after the attack, it is possible that they tried to haze or chase the pig away when it appeared. Such threats to pigs (e.g., with farm tools or throwing stones) were documented in our data. In India, where half of all fatal attacks occurred, the killing of wild pigs has long been strictly controlled and generally prohibited, and the opportunistic killing of wild pigs by Indian farmers in defense of their crops is illegal. As such, Indian farmers have little recourse other than trying to chase the crop-depredating pig away without killing it.

Senthilkumar et al. (2016) reported that three-quarters of farmers interviewed in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu stated that they tried to drive wild pigs away whenever they were found on their farmland. Being aggressively threatened, such pigs might respond with an equally aggressive defensive attack. Additionally, pigs subjected to frequent hazing without ever suffering more severe consequences may become habituated to such activities and thus more emboldened. In more recent efforts to reduce wild pig–human conflict in and around farmlands, several Indian states (Goa, Uttarakhand, and Bihar) have declared wild pigs as vermin, allowing crop-depredating pigs to be hunted and killed.

The presence of other animals accompanying humans during these attacks may elicit either defensive or predatory responses by the wild pig against those animals. In instances where humans are injured, the victims typically attempt to intercede to protect their animals and are then attacked by the pig. Domestic dogs may be considered by wild pigs to be predators, and pigs attack the dogs as a preemptive response. For example, Ingendaay et al. (2008) reported that the number of nonhunting related attacks on domestic/pet dogs by wild pigs in Berlin, Germany, has been increasing.

Mariacher et al. (2019) documented a case where wild pigs killed and consumed most of a hunting dog in Italy. The presence of a dog, either on or off leash, represents a hazard or increased risk to the human of a wild pig attack. Wild pigs can also be voracious predators of several species of domestic livestock, including juvenile and adult goats, sheep, cattle, and fowl, and at least some of the attacks involving domestic livestock likely involved a predatory attack on those animals. As with dogs, when a person herding or attending those domestic animals attempts to intercede to protect their animals, they were then attacked by the wild pig.

Some fatal attacks may have been predatory in nature, based on consumption of the victim’s tissues. As opportunistic omnivores, wild pigs scavenge on human corpses or remains in postcombat, rural accident (e.g., plane crash), and rural crime (e.g., homicide) situations. In addition, Elman and Peper (1975) reported a wild pig in southern France that was a confirmed repeated man-eater, and humans have been killed and eaten by domestic pigs.

Wild Boar Attack Shakira in Barcelona

Wild pigs have killed people, bears and lots of dogs that have attacked them. Zoologists have called them Germany's "most dangerous animal." There have been a surprising number of attacks in Japan and Italy, where boar meat is offered at restaurants.

In 2021, the singer Shakira said she and her son were accosted by two wild boars in a park in Barcelona and people watched the incident and didn’t “do anything” to help her. She told Glamour”“It’s just crazy!” “I was taking my son, Milan, for a walk in the park and I got him a little ice cream,” she explained. “We sat on one of those park benches and we were just minding our own business. And then two huge wild boars came from the back and ambushed [us] and took my purse! “And I was like, ‘Oh, my God! Oh, my God!’ and screaming, because they were taking it away, with my phone in it, my car keys, everything! Like they could understand me! And people were just watching and they weren’t doing anything!”[Source: Glamour, Louis Chilton, The Independent, November 2 2021]

Shakira said that the boars were after a sandwich, which she had prepared for her son. “They started digging inside my purse…obviously my son’s sandwich was inside the purse, so that’s why they were so interested. So they took the sandwich and walked away and left my purse. It was wild,” she said. In an earlier Instagram post, Shakira said she had “stood up” to the wild animals.

Wild Boar Kills Sicilian Man Trying to Protect His Dogs

In August 2015, a 77-year-old man was mauled to death by wild boar in an area of Sicily popular with foreign tourists. Rosie Scammell of the The Guardian wrote: “Salvatore Rinaudo was in the Cefalù countryside, close to the Sicilian capital, Palermo, with his wife and dogs when he was attacked. Rinaudo died at the scene while his wife, Rosa, sustained multiple injuries after trying to help him. “My husband put himself in the middle [of the animals] to save the dogs. At this point the boars jumped on top of him … There are no words to describe what I saw. I’m devastated,” the 73-year-old told Italian media. [Source: Rosie Scammell, The Guardian , August 9, 2015 +]

“The area around the picturesque town of Cefalù has become increasingly popular with tourists, particularly from the UK, partly because it is the setting for the Inspector Montalbano books and TV series. Following the boar attack the town’s mayor, Rosario Lapunzina, declared a day of mourning. But Simone Cecchini from Italy’s state forestry body said wild boar should not be viewed as killer animals. “Boar aren’t predators. When a boar becomes aware of a human, it runs away,” he said. “Above all these events should be evaluated based on the situation. In this case the man was not in a normal or natural situation; it seems that the boar were fighting with the dogs.” +

“Wild boar have only been in the Cefalù area for about a decade, Cecchini said, although their numbers nationally have been growing since the 1950s. They were initially brought to Italy from central Europe by hunters and, while the legal trade is decreasing, a considerable number continue to be brought into the country illegally. “This has caused accidents with cars, while also [problems] in agriculture … They eat the crops, which is why farmers are so angry,” said Cecchini. He added that given growing number of boar, a nationwide plan was now needed. “The problem is the lack of a national strategy with a technical scientific basis. There are local initiatives, but not a unique and widespread plan.” +

“Isabella Pratesi, director of conservation at wildlife charity WWF Italia, said despite the dangers hunters were keen to hold on to their valuable market. A boar could earn a poacher €500 (£350) for its meat, she said, with illegal hunts posing a serious health risk as unchecked animals can carry disease. “It’s a problem that is becoming more important in Italy and also abroad,” she said, blaming the parallel market rather than the animals for the situation. Wild boar attack humans only very rarely and when they feel threatened, Pratesi said, although warned they can be more dangerous than bears. +

Boar Kills Hunter Near Berlin

In 2008, a boar hunter was killed near Berlin. Spiegel Online reported: “The Boar War, which has been quietly raging in Germany for months, has claimed its first human victim. Late Wednesday evening in a village not far from Berlin, an enraged and hungry wild boar attacked a hunter, who then bled to death. While wild boars have been terrorizing the German countryside for centuries, in recent months their comfort zone has expanded, with city centers now also falling under their reign of destuction. This year alone, boars chased a pair of policemen onto a balcony in a suburb of Frankfurt, sent a pensioner to the emergency room in Berlin, and broke into a home improvement store before being shot to death at the checkout counter in North Rhine-Westphalia.[Source: Spiegel Online, October 10, 2008 +++]

“None of these earlier skirmishes, however, resulted in loss of non-boar life. Now the stakes are getting higher. An unlucky hunter, a married 72-year-old man from Berlin identified only as Jürgen C., was not alone when he met his untimely end. He was part of a five-man hunting party that joined forces in order to dispatch a wild beast spotted feasting on maize in a cornfield near the village of Linthe, 70 kilometers outside Berlin. +++

“At first, the hunters seemed to have the upper hand. According to 53-year-old hunting partner Ehrhard H., it was Jürgen himself who first managed to shoot the boar in one of its legs, but the creature was able to dash back into the cornfield. Then Ben, the group's hunting dog, was sent to pursue the hog, followed close behind by hunter Torsten P. This time it was the boar who scored a hit. According Ehrhard, the remaining hunters heard a cry before seeing Torsten limp back to the group with a wounded shin. +++

“At this point Jürgen, armed with 45 years of hunting experience, decided he would launch his own pursuit. "It was getting dark and we didn't even realize that Jürgen had gone back into the field," Ehrhard told the German tabloid Bild. "Then suddenly we heard a scream for help." But by the time Jürgen's friends found him, he was lying on the ground bleeding heavily from his knee. They called an ambulance but it was too late. The boar warrior had punctured a major artery and the 72-year-old sportsman bled to death. The hunting party ultimately found the boar and shot it. The corpse of the murderous beast is now being kept in a refrigeration room not far from the scene of its struggle.” +++

Wild Boar Attacks Dog in England

In April 2014, wild boar jumped out on the walkers in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire and attacked a dog that was left severely injured. Adrian Hearn wrote in The Mirror, “A couple were out walking along a footpath with their Springer Spaniel when the powerful animal appeared from the undergrowth. It charged at the family pet, breaking its leg and leaving it with other “severe” injuries before trying to attack the woman. The lady’s husband managed to fight the boar off by using the branch from a tree. The terrifying incident took place on Aylburton Common, which is part of the Lydney Park Estate in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. [Source: Adrian Hearn, The Mirror, April 10, 2015 -]

“In recent years the number of wild boars has rocketed from 300 to 800. The gamekeeper for Lydney Park Estate believes the aggression was from a female boar which has a young family she is trying to protect. Officers from Gloucestershire Police today advised all walkers to take care when walking on the estate and to ensure their dogs are kept well under control. The attack follows reports that wild boar roaming the area are becoming more aggressive - and hunting newborn lambs in packs. -\

“About 800 of the feral animals roam the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire and usually only feed on carcasses and vegetation. But now the first documented cases of the animals killing in packs have emerged, with five lambs reportedly hunted down and slain in recent weeks. The Forestry Commission has received reports of groups of boar surrounding newborn lambs before trampling and eating them. Locals are thought to be fighting back against the animals. Last month a boar was found with an arrow in its leg. Police said the injured boar could have been targeted by an angry local farmer or by an illegal hunter.” -\

In July 2023, a retired couple and their pet dog were attacked by a hybrid “Iron Age” pig while out walking in a country estate’s rewilding area. Eric Williams wrote in The Telegraph: The female hog clamped its teeth around their cocker spaniel, Luna, slicing through its stomach, before attacking Mark Shadbolt, 62, leaving him with a wound on his leg. His wife Vanessa, 57, was able to avoid the attack by “making herself big” and waving a walking pole at the animal, on the Westacre estate near Swaffham, Norfolk. Mr Shadbolt, of Gayton, Norfolk, had to visit his GP for a tetanus injection and have the wound dressed following the incident. [Source: Eric Williams, The Telegraph, July 15, 2023]

It is understood that the “Iron Age” pig breed, which is a cross between a domestic pig and a wild boar, was originally bred in the 1970s as an experiment for a BBC documentary to create a prehistoric pig. They are now classed as a rare breed at several sites around the country. The sow had recently had piglets and Mrs Shadbolt believes its aggressive behavior was a result of it wanting to protect its offspring. She said: “From the left came this huge black creature, which we thought was a rottweiler at first but then we realised it was one of the Iron Age pigs. It flew across the track and gouged my dog’s throat and the back of its leg — it was a relentless attack.”

Alec Birkbeck, the owner of Westacre estate, said: “In an ideal world, the pig attack incident would not have happened and it is extremely distressing for all concerned. We are now monitoring her closely and we will not hold back from culling the animal if she shows any signs of further aggression. The pig had a litter of piglets and was, unfortunately, following her instincts when Mr Shadbolt and his dog walked past her. Pigs and dogs are not a good mix as dogs are evolutionary predators.”

Wild Boars Raise Havoc in Bavaria and Austria

In November 2006, Der Spiegel reported: “A troop of up to 15 wild boars invaded this town of about 10,000 near Wurzburg in southern Germany after being chased from a nearby cemetery by hunters. Once in the town center, they rampaged into shops, bit several people and knocked a woman off of a bicycle. One of the boars broke into a gift shop where it knocked over and destroyed thousands of dollars worth of goods, and drove the shopkeeper into the rear where she had to call police. [Source: Spiegel web site, November 25, 2006]

“Police shot three of the large animals, according to various wire reports. Another was hit by a car. The remaining boars eventually fled across a river out of town. Boars are becoming more common in the area, and like to feed on the corn grown locally. Britain's The Independent claims this incident may be one of the most devastating attacks by wild boars on record.”

In July, 2011, The Guardian reported: “Residents of a posh district in Vienna are up in arms over wild boars invading their homes. The animals have been scouring the back gardens of houses in Döbling for months. Now local Social Democrats (SPÖ), People’s Party (ÖVP) officials and representatives of the Döbling branch of the Freedom Party (FPÖ) decided to show unusual unity to solve the matter. The factions drafted a resolution in favour of more hunting activities in the region which is close to the Vienna Woods. The parties called on Viennese SPÖ Environment Councillor Ulli Sima to take action. [Source: The Guardian, July 7, 2011 /=/]

“Sima’s office reacted by referring the district’s politicians to hunting authorities – who point out that the demanded usage of night vision devices was prohibited. They suggested to increase hunts at full moon and warned that many pets could be injured if they followed the appeals of many people to set up more traps in Döbling. /=/

“Tenants of Döbling – who claim they have been plagued by the boars for months – were also ordered to improve their fences to keep the animals away from organic waste collection bins and garden sheds. Citizens of several cities across continental Europe including German capital Berlin have complained about similar issues with wild boars before. Döbling’s traditional wine taverns attract tourists from all over the world. The district’s property prices are only matched by Vienna’s city centre and Tyrolean winter sport hotspot Kitzbühel.” /=/

Wild Boar Attacks in Asia

Wild pigs have killed people, bears and lots of dogs that have attacked them. In September 2011, the Indian Express reported that a wild boar attacked people in Mudiger in n the Indian state of Karnataka. “A huge tall single-horned wild boar appeared in the town at 10 am and injured passers-by before fleeing. The town usually witnesses a mad rush of people on Monday when the attack occurred. The boar that appeared before V R L Lorry Transport office on J M road, injuring milkwoman Ganganamakki Sarojamma. When she started screaming, V R L office boy Kiran came to rescue her but, in the attempt, he was also attacked. People assembled and tried to scare the animal. The alarmed boar ran along M G road and was seen at Azad road. On a running spree, it attacked an old woman and threw her into the gutter nearby. It hurt a bike rider coming on the road. Later, it fled the scene through Santhe Maidan. Range Forest Officer Harshavardhan visited M G M Hospital where the injured were being treated and assured of providing medical expenses to them. ACFO Srinivasa Reddy said the wild boar would be left into the forest. [Source: Express News Service, September 13, 2011]

In November 2011, the Borneo Post reported a wild boar attacked an elderly man in Pendang in the Kedah district of Malaysia: “An elderly man has been hospitalised due to severe injuries he suffered from an attack by a wild boar behind his house at Kampung Pokok Tai Lama, near here, early yesterday. In the incident at about1am, the victim, Nordi Said, 51, heard a noise from outside of his house then scouted it out as he thought it was villager’s sheep that normally roamed around his house. Members of the Civil Defence Department (JPAM) sent him to the Yan hospital at around2ambefore he was rushed to the Sultan Abdul Hospital Halim in Sungai Petani due of his critical condition. [Source: Borneo Post, November 27, 2011]

Nordi’s brother Jaafar Said, 37, who lived near his home, said he knew about the incident when his sister-in-law sought his help. “My sister-in-law came to my house to tell about the incident. When I arrived at the scene, I saw the boar was still attacking and biting my brother,” he told Bernama. Jaafar said he took about 10 minutes to chase out the animal with a steel hanger. “When I tried to chase it out, it attacked me. When I ran, the boar turned around and attacked my brother. I fought it and finally it released my brother and ran into a nearby forest,” he said, describing the animal as huge. He said the doctor informed him that his brother had suffered internal bleeding in the chest and that he was still unconscious in the emergency ward.

In April 2012, the New Straits Times reported that a woman was attacked by a wild boar in Kota Baru. Malaysia: “Rubiah Samad, 54, was with two relatives when the incident happened at 9.30am. The mother of eight suffered injuries on her left leg and sought outpatient treatment at Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital in Kota Baru. Recalling the incident, Rubiah said she was busy collecting the mushrooms at about 100 meters from her house when she spotted a wild boar appearing out of nowhere. The animal behaved aggressively and started to go near one of her relatives, Pak Husin. She said the wild boar was medium-sized and its height reached her waist. "From the distance, I saw Pak Husin waving a parang to defend himself and his wife. "He managed to frighten it and it fled. Unfortunately, it reappeared later and started to attack me," she said. After attacking and biting her, the wild boar ran off. [Source: New Straits Times, April 5, 2012]

Man Killed, Nine Injured in Wild Boar Attack in India

In March 2015, a man died and nine others sustained injuries in a wild boar attack near Koodaranji near Kozhikode (Calicut) in southern India. The Indian Express News Service reported: “The deceased has been identified as Keelath Abdul Salam, 50, alias Abdu, a farmer and a resident of Kalpur. The wild boar was later shot dead with the help of the local residents. According to the police, the wild boar attacked Abdul Salam at his farm land, around 9 am. Though he was rushed to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, he succumbed to injuries, the officials said. The injured - Haseena, Vasu, Lalitha, Kunjumon, Sabu, Abu, Najeed and Abdullah - have been admitted to the hospital and their condition has been reported to be not serious. [Source: Indian Express News Service, March 7, 2015]

“Eye-witnesses said the animal first attacked Haseena on a road and later went on the rampage, attacking Abdul Salam and others. Later, the boar was shot dead. “We received a call informing us of a wild boar attack at Karassery, bordering Mukkam and Thiruvambadi panchayats. We rushed to the spot and the animal was shot dead by a local resident using his licensed gun, by around 11 am,” said Thiruvambadi Sub-Inspector P E Kunhahammed Kutty.

“Meanwhile, the forest officials with the Thamarassery range said the carcass of the boar was taken to the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pookkode, Wayanad, for postmortem. “In normal cases there is no need to conduct a postmortem after an animal is shot dead for causing human loss and damage. In this case, it is suspected that the wild boar was rabid. We do not want to take any chances and have decided to conduct the postmortem examination,” the official added. Sources said the next of kin of the deceased would be given Rs 5 lakh as compensation by the state government. Top police and forest department officials also visited the place.”

In September 2011, the Indian Express reported that a wild boar attacked people in Mudiger in n the Indian state of Karnataka. “A huge tall single-horned wild boar appeared in the town at 10 am and injured passers-by before fleeing. The town usually witnesses a mad rush of people when the attack occurred. The boar that appeared before V R L Lorry Transport office on J M road, injuring milkwoman Ganganamakki Sarojamma. When she started screaming, V R L office boy Kiran came to rescue her but, in the attempt, he was also attacked. People assembled and tried to scare the animal. The alarmed boar ran along M G road and was seen at Azad road. On a running spree, it attacked an old woman and threw her into the gutter nearby. It hurt a bike rider coming on the road. Later, it fled the scene through Santhe Maidan. Range Forest Officer Harshavardhan visited M G M Hospital where the injured were being treated and assured of providing medical expenses to them. ACFO Srinivasa Reddy said the wild boar would be left into the forest. [Source: Express News Service, September 13, 2011]

Wild Boar Attacks in Japan and China

February 2002, the Mainichi Shimbun reported: “A wild boar attacked and seriously wounded an elderly woman in a residential area before a man drove the animal away by running into it with his car, police said. The elderly woman, 73, came across the boar, more than 1 meter in length, on a street near her home in Kitakyushu's Moji-ku. The animal attacked her left leg, causing injuries that required a major operation. The woman fell to the ground and the boar was about to strike again when a passerby drove his car into the animal, pushing it away. Shortly before or after attacking the elderly woman, the boar slightly injured a 27-year-old woman and her 4-year-old daughter. About 30 minutes later junior high school students spotted the boar heading back to the mountains, Moji Police Station officials said. They said local residents often see wild boars in the mountains but rarely spot them in town. [Source: Mainichi Shimbun, February 10, 2002]

In January 2007, four people were attacked by boars and slightly hurt in Ehime Prefecture. A 69-year-old woman was knocked down and three other people were hurt in one 15 minute period in one area. Police think that several different boars were involved. In April 2008, a wild boar went on a rampage in Kashiwara, Osaka Prefecture, injuring five people. The boar charged a woman on a bicycle and knocked her down and then ran into a kindergarten, injuring three adults there, and injured another woman when it was emerged. Three hours later, the boar — a male weighing 80 kilograms that is believed to have come down from a nearby mountain — was found dead on a sandbar in a river.

Wild boar attacks are not unusual in China. In January and February 2018, a number of attacks occured in various places. In Shaanxi Province, a wild boar entered the home of an elderly man and attacked and killed him by causing massive blood loss. Also in Shaamxi, snipers killed a wild boar after it chased and brutally killed a 66-year-old man in a road. Security footage shows the animals goring the man’s daughter-in-law, who was sent to the hospital with serious injuries.

Other incidents involved wild boars causing injuries in streets, entering stores, and even residential areas. In Qinglong County, Sichuan Province, a wild boar attacked a man, resulting in a leg injury, according to local media. In Chongqing, China, a wild boar was filmed attacking a woman and then entering a supermarket. In Jiande, Zhejiang Province, wild boars caused injuries by charging through streets. In Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, wild boars caused injuries after entering auto repair shops. In Mentougou District of Beijing, wild boars invaded residential areas and caused injuries.

In December 2023, a 51-year-old villager from central Hubei province died from blood loss after being bitten by a wild boar, The Paper reported. Three years earlier, a village official suffered a similar fatal boar attack in southwestern Sichuan province, according to the newspaper. [Source: Joyce Jiang and Simone McCarthy, CNN, January 11, 2025]

Wild Boar Attacks California Woman Walking Her Dogs

In November 2014, a wild boar gored a woman several times as she was walking with her dogs in Solano County near San Francisco. Fox News 40 reported: “The woman is still being treated for her injuries. She was walking her two dogs in the Gordon Valley area, when the boar attacked for apparently no reason. "It come from behind and just knocked her down. And she kinda yelled and screamed,"Linda Bushey, who is neighbors with the woman, said. [Source: Rowena Shaddox, Fox 40 News, November 19, 2014 ^^]

“After the initial attack, the woman thought the wild animal was leaving and tried to stand up. But the boar came back at her. Its razor sharp tusks cut the woman three times, injuring her legs and arm. She grabbed her two dogs. "Held on to them and stayed hunkered down real quiet and he finally left," rancher Tim Wellman said. She reported the attack to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, who are still investigating the incident. ^^

“Lt. Patrick Foy with the department says this could be the first unprovoked attack of a wild boar in California's history. A team of three, including Wellman, hunted down the boar. "Reached over the pig, and I got rid of Grover out of the way, and I just shot straight down through the neck with a pistol," Wellman said. He said the boar was unmistakable, with a distinguishing trait. "He left one big foot track, because it was three-legged, that foot had grown huge," Wellman added. They believe they have eliminated the threat of a future attack.” ^^

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, David Attenborough books, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.

Last updated May 2025