Cyclists squeal as wild boar steals curry puffs from bicycle at Pulau Ubin

Encountering a wild boar could make anyone's heart race.

Last weekend, a group of cyclists at Pulau Ubin squealed with excitement after a wild boar trotted up to them.

In a video clip making its rounds on social media, the animal could be seen nosing at a woman's bicycle basket as they were parking their bicycles at Chek Jawa Wetlands.

"Misaki's things la [in the basket]… How? Want to throw away the food ah?" She asked as her companions screamed.


As the wild boar stood up on its hind legs to reach the basket, the female cyclist tried to block the animal using her bicycle.

But the animal succeeded in snatching the food with its snout.

It even scattered some of its loot (curry puffs) on the ground as it disappeared into the dense foliage, much to the group's amusement.

The cyclist realised that the animal was after the curry puffs sitting in her bicycle's basket, but it was too late to remove them at the time, she explained in a Facebook post on Sunday (Nov 22).

"Since this was not my first wild boar encounter, I remained calm and used the bike as a barrier, meaning well, not to hurt the boar," Trisha Yuen Thow wrote.

She also noticed that the animal was just hungry and not aggressive.

Despite the scare, both human and animal got away from the encounter unscathed, the woman said, adding that the rubbish was also cleared from the scene.

In her post, she urged visitors not to bring food with them. If they do, they should pack them properly so the scent would not attract wild animals.

Dangerous encounters

But not all encounters with wild boars end on a light-hearted note.

Last Tuesday (Nov 17), a 50-year-old woman taking an evening stroll home from Sungei Api Api Park ended up in hospital after a wild boar attack.

She was knocked down by the animal and sustained facial injuries as well as a 10cm-long gash on her left leg that exposed the bone.

In 2018, a pregnant woman in her 30s suffered deep cuts to her right calf following a wild boar assault. She was walking to a bus stop in Punggol when the animal attacked her from behind.

Similarly, an elderly woman visiting Pulau Ubin fell and broke her hip in 2012 after a wild boar charged at her and knocked her off her feet.

She was there for a group excursion when a female wild boar with two piglets approached them, The New Paper reported. The group had taken photos and even fed the animals prior to the attack.

What to do when encountering a wild boar

The wild boar, a native animal of Singapore, can weigh up to 100kg. They're strong animals that can run relatively fast, and an adult male's canines are capable of inflicting serious injuries when it attacks.

If members of the public encounter wild boars, they should keep a safe distance, remain calm and move away slowly, the National Parks Board (NParks) said in an advisory.

They should not feed wild boars as this might cause the animals to associate humans with food and therefore approach them.

In particular, they should avoid female wild boars with piglets, as the animals are very protective of their young.

lamminlee@asiaone.com