Illustratory stock photo (source: SME)
Vets have been called in to catch a group of wild boars who have made their home opposite a block of flats in Bratislava.
The ten animals, including four females with their cubs, have been seen at Bárdošova Street in the Kramáre neighbourhood, the TASR newswire reported.
Boars will not be aggressive unless they feel danger
Police have cordoned off the area to stop people, especially dog owners, from entering, as officials said the boars will not be aggressive if they do not feel they are in danger.
Wild boars colonise overgrown lands with fruit trees like this one, municipal council member Jakub Mrva wrote on his Facebook profile.
He said boars like land with bushes and places where they can find food and are not disturbed, adding that the animals occupied several spots in Kramáre from where they would then move around at night.
He recommended against taking pictures or videos of the boars in order to not disturb them. As long as the animals do not feel in danger, in particular from dogs, they will not be aggressive towards people. Dog owners should keep their dogs on a leash if they come across a wild boar and should wait till it walks way or move to a safe distance themselves, Mrva said.
People feeding boars to blame
In a statement for TASR, the Land and Forest Department at Bratislava District Office said: “Some residents fed the boars. The animals got used to it and are back to where they got more attractive food than in forests.”
The department has urged people to make sure waste bins are securely closed, refrain from throwing leftover food in easily-accessible places for the boars, and try to avoid encounters with wild animals. Limited movement in the forests after certain hours might help, too, it said.
