Motorcyclist and passenger injured in accident involving wild boar near Tuas Checkpoint

A motorcyclist and his female pillion rider were taken to hospital. PHOTOS: FACEBOOK/JACKIE LIM

SINGAPORE - The sudden appearance of a wild boar along the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) after the Tuas Checkpoint early on Thursday (Sept 28) caused a traffic accident that sent two to hospital and killed the animal.

Pictures of the scene posted on Johor Baru traffic group Traffic Report JBS show a dead boar on the road, and a large group of motorcyclists gathered around a man lying on the road.

Facebook user Jackie Lim shared the photos, warning commuters in Chinese to be careful while driving in that area.

He wrote that the accident occurred at 7.15am, about 500m away from the Tuas Checkpoint.

"After I reached Singapore, there was this accident," he wrote. "The boar caused a traffic accident, luckily nobody died."

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told The Straits Times that it was alerted to the accident along AYE, towards Jurong, at 7.24am and dispatched an ambulance.

The police told ST that a 38-year-old male motorcyclist and his 35-year-old female pillion rider were taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

Wild boars have previously been spotted in the Tuas area.

In June, a large herd of wild boars was caught on camera swarming a bus interchange in Tuas.

Wildlife group Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (Acres) later set up metal barriers to prevent the animals from entering the terminal.

In November last year, a 25-year-old motorcyclist was hospitalised after colliding with a wild boar on the Bukit Timah Expressway.

In April last year, a 49-year-old motorcyclist was also injured after a wild boar dashed out into the Seletar Expressway.

According to the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority's (AVA's) website, wild boars are "unpredictable animals and can be dangerous".

"Due to their solid body build, wild boars are considered to be particularly dangerous when involved in car accidents," said the advisory.

Here is what to do if you encounter a wild boar, according to an advisory by AVA, the National Parks Board and Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

  • Be calm and move slowly away from the animal. Do not approach or attempt to feed the animal.
  • Keep a safe distance and do not corner or provoke the animal, that is, by using flash while taking pictures.
  • If you see adult boars with young piglets, leave them alone. These are potentially more dangerous because they may attempt to defend their young.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.