More than a thousand residents in Taman Bukit Mewah, a residential district in Johor Bahru, Malaysia have urged the local government to increase efforts to protect local people and farmlands from wild boars.
Rising numbers of boars has caused damage to crops and threatened the safety of the local residents, according to Shamsudin Baharon, chairman of Zone A Kawasan Rukun Tetangga (KRT) in the New Straits Times.
He added that had almost hit a boar while driving his car, and that people could get hurt if wild boars run into schools, houses or village mosques.
Mohammad Radzi Shahudin, a 65-year old retiree, said he stopped growing fruits such as bananas in his backyard as they were often damaged or eaten by the animals. He said the local government should control the number of them, which may cause fatal traffic accidents, especially involving motorcyclists.
Local residents demanded that the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) take immediate action to curb wild boar attacks.
In March this year, a boar entered a mosque in Selangor, injuring one man and disturbing prayers. The boar was ultimately put down by a mosque official with a shotgun, The Star reported.