WILD BOAR’S ATTACK

Southland Times, Issue 21000, 5 February 1930, Page 14

WILD BOAR’S ATTACK

HUNTER CLIMBS A TREE. SHIP’S OFFICER’S THRILL. Sydney, January 16. Officers of the steamer Mildura, which was recently at Rockhampton (Queensland), are not likely to forget an adventurous week-end spent in wild pig hunting on the Fitzroy River. One man was “treed” by a wild board, two dogs were disembowlled by infuriated wild pigs, and the party encountered a 15ft crocodile. The chief engineed, Mr Brooks, the second engineer, Mr Dobbs, the third engineer, Mr Campbell, and Mr Jim Fraser, motored to Brown’s Crossing, where they were joined by Mr Hanson, jun., a son of the lightkeeper. Opposite the crossing they saw a 15ft. crocodile lying on the bank. It glided silently into the water, leaving nothing but a ripple, and was seen no more. The party camped near the mangroves until daylight. They had been scouting only 40 minutes, when they encountered a herd of 120 wild pigs, and shot eight of them. Of the three dogs that had been taken by the party, two were killed by the pigs, which attacked the dogs and disembowelled them with their tusks. Some of the pigs, Mr Brooks .said, stood almost 4ft high. When cornered they bit and barked like a dog. Mr Brooks told how he was treed by a wild boar. “I tried hard to head the mob off the mangroves,” he said. All the pigs wentsast me, except one big boar. As soon as he saw me he charged. I ducked, and managed to get to a tree, which I climbed. I had, of course, to leave my gun at the foot of the tree. The boar had me stuck in that tree for about half an hour. He left when the rest of the party came up.”