10 Facts About Wild Boars ‘Coz They’re Could be In your HDB Nowadays

Of all the things you’d expect to hear in the news here, it seems completely bizarre to read up on news on wild boars.

Guys who have been through NS in the army would know these wild boars as a group of roaming animals in forests with heightened fear of humans. But how much do you know about them, other than they’re…relatively cute?

Here are 10 things you’d like to know about the animal, seeing that it has made it into the trending news of Singapore.

It Has Other Names
Wild boars are also called the Eurasian wild pig, or wild swine. We still pretty to call it wild boars or 山猪.

There Are Three Kinds of Wild Boars
The ones which are truly wild pigs, feral pigs which come from generations after a domestic pig escaped into the wild and a cross of the two previous wild boar types.

Where Are Wild Boars Generally Found
Well, apart from our pavements and forests here, they are also in Africa, other parts of Asia like Japan, Indonesia and India, and Europe too.

About Their Tusks
A wild boar’s tusks are located close to its bottom lips, and are apparently more curved and longer in the male ones. Males also have an extra tusk on their upper lip, which helps them to sharpen their lower tusk!

They Are Nocturnal
Wild boars can sleep for up to 12 hours in a day, and are active for the nightly half of the 24 hours. Wah, pretty good life.

Piglets Live in Nests
Yes, while they are certainly mammals, wild boars actually keep their babies in a nest made entirely out of leaves. Cuteness overload, no?

They Are Omnivorous
Wild boars rely on both plants and animals to survive. The things on their menu include mice, lizards, eggs, berries, leaves and also snakes and worms. Eww to half of them! But then again, what else do we expect them to makan in the forest? Leftover combat rations arh?

And Wild Boars Use Their Snouts To…
In case you’ve not seen a wild boar up close as yet, their snout is not just long, but it’s very rubbery too. The snout’s been designed such to help them delve deep below the ground for bulbs and roots.

The Almost Forever Alone Male
Did you know that male wild boars spend their life in solitary, until it’s time to mate? The only time they’re not alone is during the mating season. So sad sia.

The Lifespan of a Wild Boar
If a wild boar lives in its natural habitat, it can survive for up to a decade. On the other hand, it actually thrives longer when living in captivity at a strong figure of right up to 25 years!

I hope none of us encounters any of the wild animals while heading home, and I’m sure some pretty solid measures are being taken up to ensure that barriers are in place to prevent further attacks on us humans.

Then again, as what the NSmen in the office often say, “Wild boars scare humans one, don’t worry. We see many before liao.”

Just don’t disturb them, because even a disturbed stray cat can be deadly.

See?