NAGASAKI (TR) – A chaotic scene erupted in Sasebo City while a wild boar went on a rampage early Sunday, seriously injuring two pedestrians and smashing into vehicles. The animal was eventually put down by authorities, reports NHK (Oct. 1).
At just before 8:00 a.m., the boar bit the head and hand of a wheelchair-bound man, 59, in a residential area in Kamishimacho, according to Nagasaki Prefectural Police. About 15 minutes later, it tackled an 89-year-old woman and bit her hand.
Both victims suffered broken fingers, police said.
About 200 meters away, the animal, a male measuring about 1.2 meters in length, also slammed into a motorbike and a car in the Konpiracho area, police said. A 60-year-old woman riding the bike was thrown off. The woman and the occupants of the car were unharmed.
About six hours later, police and members of a local hunting association found the boar near the area where the first two persons were attacked. The animal was then chased into a gutter where it was put down by a member of the hunting association, police said.
“Ran over with a golf club”
A 77-year-old woman said, “I heard someone calling for help so I went outside and saw this huge boar attacking the man’s hand after he was thrown off his wheelchair. A man in the neighborhood tried to help and ran over with a golf club, while I went to call the police and firefighters. We see raccoon dogs around here sometimes, but this is the first time I’ve seen a wild boar. How scary.”
The golf-club wielding man, who is 63, as quoted, “I saw that the man had fallen off his wheelchair, and it didn’t seem like he could move after getting his hand bitten, so I figured I had to do something and went to grab my iron.”