Install fences at three locations in Zhenghua Nature Park to protect residents from wild boars

Singapore – Three sections along a two-kilometer stretch of Zhenghua Nature Park will be fortified with fences to prevent wild boars from entering residential areas. This is an incident involving two residents of the Bukit Panjang district. Inflicted multiple injuries in separate attacks.

The park is a long linear park sandwiched between the grounds of Bukit Panjang and nearby green spaces. Wild boar use the park as a passageway from the Garibatu woodlands to the north, Chestnut Nature Park to the east, Central Catchment Nature Reserve, and Dairy Farm Nature Park to the south.

The three locations chosen are along Chestnut Avenue, the Bankit Underpass, and under the Gari Batu Overpass.

Ryan Lee, Director of the National Parks Commission’s (NParks) Wildlife Management Group, told media during a visit to the park on Friday that these sites were chosen because they are key points of connection to the woodlands. I said it was because.

Construction has been completed at the Bangkit Underpass site. There is a 1-meter-high fence that stretches around the entire underpass, and a cow lattice, which is a lattice with gaps. Surveillance cameras will be installed to monitor the effectiveness of the measures.

“The design of the fence is based on several factors: the ability of wild boars to dig underground and jump to a certain height; The need to stay connected,” Lee said.

“Therefore, fences are designed with a combination of either a gap in the bottom that allows small animals to traverse, and a cattle grate that prevents hoofed animals such as wild boar from traversing, while other animals are exposed to forest areas. ,” he says. Added.

Park users and cyclists will continue to have access, he said.

A fence with a height of 1.8 meters and a length of 400 meters will be installed on the Garibatu elevated site from July. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of August.

A PVC pipe with a diameter of 30 centimeters will be installed at the base of the fence so that small mammals and reptiles can pass through.

Lee added that while wild boar piglets may be able to pass through PVC pipes, they are usually not a safety hazard. They are also likely to turn back and look for their parents instead, he said.

A combination of fence and cow grates has also been installed at the site along Chestnut Avenue, with ongoing work expected to be completed by July.

A combination of fences and cattle grates has proven effective in curbing wild boar migration on Ubin Island since its introduction in January 2021.

Fences are also being used in areas such as Bukit Timah and Rifle Range Nature Park, and NParks will continue to monitor and tailor solutions to specific situations, Lee said.