BANGKOK, Thailand – A 100-kilogram wild boar caused a traffic scare on a busy overpass in Pathum Thani on August 24 before its owner managed to calm it down and lead it home safely. Police were alerted after the male wild boar was spotted wandering on the overpass at the Santi Suk intersection toward Rangsit. Pol. Cpl. Phetpracha Wansueb, a traffic officer with Pathum Thani City Police Station, coordinated with Poh Teck Tung Foundation rescuers and municipal disaster prevention officials to capture the animal.
The wild boar, estimated to be about two and a half years old and weighing more than 100 kilograms, was found moving among heavy traffic. Rescuers tried to surround it, but the animal became frightened by the vehicles and repeatedly ran along the roadway, making it difficult to catch.
The situation changed when 64-year-old Supachai Tangwannasukh arrived after hearing about the incident. He called out the name “Jao Lek,” identifying the animal as his own pet wild boar. After hearing its owner’s voice, the boar gradually calmed down. Supachai spent more than an hour talking to and coaxing Jao Lek until it followed him down from the overpass. The animal then followed its owner’s calls all the way home, about two kilometers from the scene, without further incident.
Supachai said he had allowed Jao Lek to roam outside on August 20, but the animal disappeared afterward. He had been searching for it until a member of the public alerted him that officials were trying to capture a wild boar on the overpass. He rushed to the scene and successfully helped bring Jao Lek home safely.
