Car hits and kills wild boar near Lappajärvi centre

A wild boar was killed when a car struck it near the centre of Lappajärvi in South Ostrobothnia on Wednesday evening, Yle reported. The collision happened on Alarannantie, about one kilometre from the centre, and was unusual for the area.

The driver did not recognise the animal when calling the emergency centre. Police asked local hunters to help. By the time Anssi Nahkala of the Lappajärvi Hunting Association arrived, the car and driver had left. Hunters found the boar in a ditch and confirmed it was dead.

The animal was a fully grown male. A veterinarian found that its liver had ruptured and its lungs were damaged. Nahkala said it had probably died from internal bleeding.

Samples have been sent to the Finnish Food Authority to test for African swine fever. SeiLab will assess whether the meat is safe to eat. The hunters have put the cuts of meat in cold storage while awaiting the result.

Nahkala said the boar was probably passing through, as sightings are uncommon in the Järviseutu area. One boar was hunted in Lappajärvi’s Itäkylä district last year. The largest wild boar population in the region is in Suupohja, around Kauhajoki, Karijoki and Isojoki.

Ilkka-Pohjalainen was the first to report the collision.