Hong Kong boar sparks three-hour police chase

The boar was tranquilised by animal workers after eluding police for hours

Police in Hong Kong have caught a wild boar after a three-hour chase in a city park.

The boar sparked the hunt when it was spotted in Hong Kong Park in Central district, where it was shot with a tranquiliser gun.

On Wednesday, a boar spotted in front of the nearby Conrad International Hotel dodged police for two hours.

In a similar incident in May, a boar was caught after getting trapped in a children's clothes shop in Hong Kong.

Wild boars are fairly common in Hong Kong's rural areas, and can become aggressive when confronted.

It has not been confirmed that the boar caught on Friday was the same animal that eluded police on Wednesday - but it is likely, given that boars rarely stray into populated areas.

The animal was a pre-adult male and about one metre long, South China Morning Post reports.

The boar was hard to find as it was well camouflaged in the park

It was eventually shot with a tranquiliser gun

It was then placed in a net before being released into the wild

The boar's adventure gripped Hong Kong - with many social media users live-tweeting it.

Andrew Leyden, who filmed the chase, said police were relaxed and took photos of the animal.

"They would get the boar into one area and it would escape. They had a 'here we go again' attitude."

Local media say that boar is in good health and has been released into a rural area. It was tranquilised by a government animal control worker while being fed apples.