Laurence Dollimore
A SOUNDER of wild boars has been filmed running through a busy shopping centre on the Costa del Sol.
In video footage shared online, a family of the pigs can be seen scuttling through the Miramar complex in Fuengirola.
The short clip, uploaded to Instagram, appears to show an adult specimen being followed by multiple piglets.
One black-coloured youngster can be seen straying from the group after becoming distracted by startled shoppers.
It is then seen scurrying towards the pack after suddenly realising they had been left behind.
This is not the first time the animals have been filmed at the Miramar shopping centre.
In late December, footage shared on Instagram showed adult and baby specimens rooting around bins outside.
Locals could be heard gushing over the animals as they recorded them on their mobile phones.
But while they may appear cute, boars can become incredibly aggressive, particularly mothers travelling with their young, as they are naturally very protective and will fiercely react to any perceived threat.
A police officer in Madrid was bitten by a boar this year after the animal went ‘on a rampage’ through the streets.
Meanwhile, experts last month warned they could also pose a huge health risk for Spain.
In fact, they are often carriers of hepatitis E, an infection which causes around €50,000 deaths a year.
Last year, a team of Spanish scientists discovered wild boar strains of hepatitis E viruses show ‘molecular similarity’ to human strains, suggesting the animals may be transmitting the illness to humans.
“We need to be very careful,” said Jordi Serra-Cobo, one of the researchers. “If we don’t do anything, sooner or later we’ll have a big problem on a global scale.”
The study was carried out in Barcelona, where around 3.2 million people live with 5-15 wild boars per kilometre squared.
A 2015 study showed the animals could also transmit Japanese encephalitis and Nipah Virus – a deadly disease which currently has no cure.
It is said that wild boars move into populated areas due to urbanisation of the countryside and the abandonment of farmland.
In urban areas, they often tip bins over and eat their contents, so one prevention measure would be making it difficult for the boars to turn bins on their sides.
For hunters or park rangers, the scientists also recommend washing your hand thoroughly with soap and water.
They also warn against letting boars into public parks, where dogs could get infected from boar excrement.
