Runaway wild boar sparks police chase at Hong Kong airport

HONG KONG: A wayward wild boar led police on a higgledy-piggledy chase at Hong Kong's international airport on Tuesday afternoon (Dec 20).

Instagram user Richard Tan posted video of the incident, showing at least four officers trying to corner the boar which had wandered onto the apron of the Chek Lap Kok International Airport.

"It's running over here! It's covered in blood," a man was heard saying in the video.

"Around 2:30 pm, there was a wild pig that entered the restricted area where the planes are parked," an Airport Authority spokeswoman told AFP. "The airport police unit was mobilised and subdued the pig," she said, adding that operations at the airport were not affected.

Photographs showed blood on the boar's snout and mouth as it lay on the ground under the crush of police shields.

It was an adult female, around one metre (three feet) long and weighing around 50 kilograms (110 pounds), local media reported, citing a spokesperson from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.

It has reportedly been transferred to an animal management centre to have its wounds inspected.

Wild boars are common in the Hong Kong countryside and occasionally wander into villages and urban areas in search of food. The agriculture department advises people not to approach them as they may become aggressive if threatened.