The country’s “plague of wild boar” – affecting some areas much more than others – has now seen an “attack” on a Setúbal restaurant, close to the Arrábida national park.
Two ‘javali’ (as they are called here) stormed the Âncora Azul restaurant, at the town’s naval club, in the early hours of Thursday morning.
According to TVI24 they swam to their destination, “climbing up the ramp” from the quayside with one then crashing through the restaurant windows.
Honing in on a clump of strong hair caught in the shattered glass, TVI describes how the boar broke plates, glasses, toppled tables and chairs, with blood spattering liberally over walls and floor.
His companion meantime is believed to have stayed outside.
Police called to the scene managed to ‘lead’ the uninjured boar back to the protection of the Arrábida hills.
It is not explained what happened to the “injured” boar inside the restaurant.
But the incident, as TVI stressed, is just another in a litany of wild boar incursions that have been worrying locals – and in this case causing hundreds of euros in damage.
Three weeks ago, the country delighted in photos of three wild boar taking to a nearby beach. But this is the downside of the animals’ advances.
Says Pedro Vieira of the Arrábida Club, it is time for “concrete measures” to reduce wild boar numbers.
Suggesting a form of institutionally-backed cull, Vieira explained: “This is very serious. There has to be a strong commitment by the agriculture and environment ministries to increase the number of licenses to kill wild boar in protected areas”.
Vieira explained that the Arrábida natural park was 10 kms from Setúbal, yet still the animals managed to get there, which shows they “are desperate for food”.
Wild boar sightings around rubbish bins in the park and surroundings are already commonplace, and there have even been stories of the animals reaching the nearby coast of Caparica.
The Algarve too is being affected by the ‘javali plague’, with numerous incidents of wild boar crossing highways, particularly on the Costa Vicentina.
