If a wild boar attacks someone in Singapore, can the National Parks Board (NParks) be held legally responsible?
That question is now before the courts after Ms Durga Devi Subramaniam sued NParks over an alleged wild boar attack at a Bukit Panjang bus stop in 2023.
Her lawsuit, filed on 29 April 2026, alleges that NParks was negligent in its management of wild boars near homes and roads. NParks denies the allegations.
The case is still pending, so no court has found NParks negligent.
Woman Says Wild Boar Bit & Tossed Her 3 Times
According to court documents reported by CNA, Ms Durga said she was at a bus stop along Bangkit Road at about 11.50pm on 1 May 2023 when a wild boar attacked her.
She alleges that the animal bit her and caught and tossed her three times. She was taken by ambulance to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Her reported injuries included wounds to her right calf, index and middle fingers, right palm and buttocks. She underwent operations on her right hand, right leg and a wound on her buttock, as well as microsurgery to repair branches of the ulnar nerve in her hand.
A medical report submitted in the case states that the nerve injury resulted in permanent disability to her right hand.
Ms Durga is seeking compensation for pain and suffering, as well as S$7,407.32 for medical and transport expenses and S$32,027.38 for loss of earnings before the trial.
She is also claiming amounts that have yet to be determined for future medical expenses, reduced earning capacity and future loss of earnings, along with interest and legal costs.
She Alleges NParks Did Not Do Enough to Manage Wild Boars
Ms Durga alleges that NParks failed to take sufficient care in managing wild boars around residential areas and roads.
Her allegations include failures relating to the management of the animals, fencing and measures intended to reduce potentially dangerous encounters between people and wild boars.
A police report was made on her behalf the day after the alleged attack.
The incident received significant attention at the time. In the weeks that followed, another man was attacked by a wild boar in Zhenghua Nature Park.
Authorities subsequently stepped up measures in Bukit Panjang. By July 2023, 19 wild boars had been trapped and removed from the area since May, while exclusion fences and cattle grids were also used to restrict the animals from entering residential areas.
NParks Says Boar Had Been Hit by a Vehicle Minutes Earlier
NParks is contesting Ms Durga's lawsuit and denies that it was negligent.
The agency says its management measures included monitoring wild boar numbers, educating the public, acting against illegal wildlife feeding, modifying habitats and removing wild boars where necessary.
Its defence also points to what happened shortly before the alleged attack.
According to NParks, there was a traffic accident report involving a wild boar being hit by a vehicle on the same stretch of road at about 11.45pm, just five minutes before Ms Durga said she was attacked.
The animal was later found with significant injuries that NParks says had been sustained before its encounter with Ms Durga.
NParks therefore argues that the incident resulted from circumstances outside its control.
When CNA reported on the incident in May 2023, NParks said the boar was eventually found by the roadside with two broken hind legs and was euthanised.
So Can NParks Actually Be Held Responsible?
Potentially, but an injury involving wildlife does not by itself mean NParks is legally responsible.
Singapore's Court of Appeal has said that negligence claims can, in appropriate circumstances, be brought against public bodies. Broadly, a claimant has to establish that the defendant owed a duty of care, breached that duty and that the breach caused the claimant's injuries or losses.
Whether such a duty exists can also depend on factors including foreseeability, the relationship between the parties, public policy and the relevant statutory framework.
That means the central issue is not simply whether a wild boar attacked Ms Durga. The court will have to determine the parties' disputed allegations about whether NParks had a relevant duty of care, whether its wildlife management fell short of what was legally required and whether any such failure caused her injuries.
NParks has also raised contributory negligence as an alternative defence, alleging that Ms Durga failed to keep a proper lookout, maintain a safe distance and take reasonable care for herself.
Those allegations have not been proven.
Under Singapore law, contributory negligence is generally a partial defence. If established, it can reduce the compensation awarded based on the claimant's share of responsibility rather than automatically defeating the entire claim.
2 Others Are Also Suing NParks in a Separate Case
NParks is separately facing another negligence lawsuit involving two people who say they tripped over a temporary cable cover at the Singapore Botanic Gardens on 27 July 2025.
Mr Lim Fon Kui and Ms Wong Sung Mui said they were walking near Swan Lake towards the Tanglin Gate car park at around noon when they fell. Mr Lim's medical records state that he bruised his right shoulder and knee, while Ms Wong suffered a fractured right knee and abrasions on her wrist.
Their combined medical expenses exceed S$11,000.
NParks denies negligence in that case too. It says the cable cover was installed by a subcontractor of Pico Art International for a festival, had sloping edges and a yellow strip for visibility, and was clearly visible in daylight.
NParks also denies that it is legally responsible for the subcontractor's acts or omissions and has raised contributory negligence against the two claimants.
The two lawsuits are separate cases. Both are due to be mentioned in court on 21 August 2026.
NParks' own guidance says wild boars can be unpredictable. Members of the public are advised not to approach, chase, corner or feed them, and anyone attacked or bitten should seek medical attention immediately.
