With the country in the grip of a ‘plague of wild boar’, one slimline porker was discovered yesterday swimming off a Loulé beach.
The 50kg ‘youngster’ was rescued by lifeguards with the help of a jetski, reports TVI.
Despite having to be ‘restrained’ and muzzled, the boar appeared to be in a perfect state of health and was brought safely back to shore at Garrão beach, to await Maritime Police who “took him in safety to his natural habitat”.
There appeared no immediate theory as to how and indeed why the boar ended up swimming 300 metres off the coast, though issues with these creatures encroaching into urban areas were highlighted earlier this summer (click here).
With agricultural land “falling into into disuse”, and the absence of any natural predators, wild boar habitats have been increasing.
Herds have even been sighted on the beaches of the Arrábida natural park (south of Lisbon), suggesting we could see more incidents of swimming porkers before the summer is out.
One of the major concerns is that as these large, usually shy animals carry with them a number of diseases, particularly tuberculosis which veterinary experts warn could start to enter the food chain.
Photo: TVI
