Police investigate after wild boar baited, beaten and trussed up in Malaga city

Police are investigating an incident of possible animal cruelty after three people allegedly beat and captured a wild boar in Malaga city.

It comes as the presence of the animals in urban areas of the Costa del Sol rises, with the increase sevenfold in Malaga city in the past 15 years. There are more than 22,000 of them in the mountains and in urban areas in the province, according to the Junta de Andalucía.

The alleged incident happened on Saturday 12 October when, according to eyewitnesses, three people captured a wild boar in the area of Hacienda Paredes, in the Cerrado de Calderón area of the city. Three people approached a group of wild boars to feed them, when one of them allegedly hit a smaller animal on the head and then trussed it up and dragged it along the ground, before putting it in the boot of a car.

The incident reportedly took place about 8pm in Calle Jengibre, where there is a children's playground nearby. According to eyewitnesses, several families were in the area when the incident happened.

The two people who told SUR about the incident have chosen to remain anonymous. One of them manages a feral cat colony in the area and had finished putting out food for them when the incident occurred. She said the wild boar was stunned after it was hit and then proceeded to scream loudly. "They got into the car so fast that the rope was hanging outside the vehicle," she said. "They [wild boars] wander around the area, unafraid, confident. Their presence has been very common since the pandemic," she added.

"I am afraid of those people but we are keeping watch. They used the bait of feeding them to attract them," the resident said. Police have opened an investigation into the incident, which could be deemed as crimes of animal abuse and poaching, according to municipal sources

Another resident in the area said wild boars are a common issue. "They scare me, although they don't do anything. If I see them, I cross the pavement. But I obviously don't like them being mistreated," they said.

"On Saturday at 8pm I walked past. And there were three individuals nearby. They were giving the boars something to eat. I didn't think anything else and kept walking. Then, when I came back, there were some children. And some women told me that some children had seen a wild boar tied up with ropes being put in the boot and that it was screaming a lot," the resident added.

Wild boars have become a common sight in this area of Malaga city as SUR can confirm from a video taken last week recording traffic jams on the access to Cerrado de Calderón from the motorway. In Ciudad Jardín, especially in the area near the Manuel Carra conservatory, many curious onlookers crowd every afternoon as wild boars feed. The animals are also frequently seen in Churriana or El Limonar. It is forbidden to give wild boars food. Doing so in urban areas is punishable by a fine of up to 500 euros.

Malaga city council has contracted a company with archers (SCAES group) for 13,000 euros after being authorised by the Junta de Andalucía, to cull the animals. Water troughs will also be installed in the mountains to prevent them from coming down to the city in search of water.

The Junta is working with traps and other systems to try to keep this species at bay, which is considered to be invasive and which threatens the environment and public health.

Crossbreeding raises the possibility of transmitting diseases to the pig population. Hunting them must be fully authorised and poaching is not allowed. Consuming them is subject to different levels of control as the risk of diseases such as trichinosis is extremely high.