45-kilogram wild boar found cooling off in a swimming pool in Berlin

A resident of Neuenhagen, a suburb of Berlin, discovered a 45-kilogram wild boar swimming in their pool on earlier this month. 

The animal most likely jumped into the pool to escape the heat, as temperatures reached 27 degrees Celsius, according to local media. 

However, the boar was unable to exit the pool on its own, this left it swimming for some time until it was discovered by the Neuenhagen resident.

Aided by the fire service and local residents, who filled the pool with more water, the boar was helped to safety, using a ladder and a sling.

The rescue lasted roughly an hour and a half, “We didn’t know a boar could swim for so long,” a police spokesman said.

After resting for a short while the boar ran back into the nearby wooded area that it likely came from. 

In recent years, boars have become a common sight in urban areas of Germany where they come to scavenge food from trash and waste.

Haifa's urban boar problem

Haifa has also been home to a recent upswing in boar activity with boars becoming more commonplace in the city, there's disagreement as to what led to their growth, the two main theories are that fires in 2016 destroyed their habitat and that food is easier to find in the city.

Residents of Haifa have brainstormed many ideas as to how to cope with the issue, from apps that release subsonic sounds to scare them to leaving lion dung at trash sites to simply securing trash with metal chains and underground bins.

According to the New York Times, one wildlife professor even tried urinating at the bottom of his garden to keep them away, which ultimately failed.