A young wild boar with a one-metre arrow embedded in its side wandered through the urbanisations of Mijas Costa on Saturday evening. Residents and tourists alerted the Local Police, but no team came to assist the animal during the hour it remained in the area.
The young boar was limping and grunting as it followed its mother and the rest of the herd. The arrow, measuring just over one metre, pierced its left side. The scene lasted for approximately an hour, until sunset, without any wild animal capture services or police arriving at the scene, according to witnesses.
Direct witnesses: “It is suffering and someone has to do something”
One of the first to raise the alarm was Dale, a tourist from Northern Ireland who was holidaying on the Costa del Sol. “I saw the animal and couldn’t believe it. I called the police immediately,” he recounted. Gayané and Romik, two Armenian residents in the area who are used to encountering herds of wild boars, also did the same. “They usually don’t bother if you don’t bother them, but this one was suffering and someone has to do something,” Gayané said with tears in her eyes.
A couple from Alhaurín el Grande who were in Mijas, Francisco and Tamara, also stopped their car upon seeing the animal. “My wife saw it first and we couldn’t believe it,” Francisco explained. “It’s a shame to do that to the animal. If they need to be eliminated, it should be done in another way, but leaving it like this, suffering, is unnecessary,” he added.
The wild boar plague on the Costa del Sol, a growing problem
Wild boars have become a plague that worries residents of the Málaga coastline. In recent months, incursions have been reported on beaches, streets, and even inside shopping centres. Last winter, a female and her piglets took refuge from heavy rains in a shopping centre in Fuengirola. The situation has led some municipalities to adopt extreme measures, according to reports from the Málaga Ecologist Network.
“They are a problem for some municipalities that sometimes adopt extreme measures,” sources from the organisation told EFE. They also warned that “since they are not a protected species, they are completely unprotected.” The lack of an immediate response to an injured animal highlights, according to ecologists, the need for a clear action protocol for these cases.
Meanwhile, the image of the wild boar with the arrow embedded in it roaming the urbanisations of Mijas Costa has generated a wave of outrage among residents and tourists, who demand swift action to prevent unnecessary suffering of these animals. The Local Police of Mijas have not commented on the incident, but municipal sources consulted by this newspaper assure that the origin of the arrow is being investigated, which could be related to poaching practices in the area.
The episode reopens the debate on the management of the wild boar overpopulation in the province of Málaga, where encounters with these animals in urban environments are becoming increasingly common. While authorities seek solutions, the residents of Mijas Costa hope that at least the injured animals will be attended to with the urgency they deserve.
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