Wild Boar Attack: Cardio, Canines and Close Calls
I’ll never forget the day I came directly face to face with a threatening wild boar, easily weighing over 120kg and about as tall as up to my belly button.
Three minutes into the encounter, I regretted my neglected cardio workouts over the past year.
Let me set the scene of that chaotic morning.
It was a crisp autumn day in 2021 at my grandparent’s farm in the south of Portugal. My now-wife was still asleep as I was on a video call with a 1-2-1 online fitness member at 7:30a.m.
The morning unfolded like any other until the dogs started barking.
Anna, a massive Alentejo Mastiff, Nero, a formidable German Shepherd, and Salsicha, a small Ratonero, were outside in the enormous enclosed space. Their barking, initially normal, persisted intensely for 15 minutes without pause.
Once my video call ended, I went to investigate.
Upon opening the door, Nero dashed up, barking urgently, as if to say, “COME AND CHECK THIS OUT RIGHT NOW!” He then sprinted back towards the commotion.
By now, my wife was awake and alarmed. Peering outside, she exclaimed, “Oh my God, Leo, a wild boar is here, and it’s eating the chickens alive!”
Fortunately, the boar was behind a fence, preventing a direct confrontation between it and the dogs. Given the boar’s titan-like size and strength, any such encounter would likely have been disastrous.
Adrenaline surging, my first move was to secure Salsicha and ensure my wife and the small dog were safe indoors.
Considering guns aren’t legal in Europe unless it’s under particular circumstances, I grabbed the nearest makeshift weapon—a 12kg barbell—and opened the gate. Nero charged at the boar, which, upon spotting him, ceased its attack on the chickens and fled.
The surprisingly fast boar managed to keep some distance from a rapid Nero. With both of their speed, I could hardly keep up, and both were out of my sight within seconds.
Worried for my buddy Nero, I trailed behind, gasping and wheezing for breath, alongside Anna, notorious within the family for being slow. Throughout my run, I regretted my lapse in cardio sessions since mid-2020, as it felt incredibly challenging.
Finally catching up to Nero, we all cornered the boar.
It was a tense standoff, and I knew exactly what the dogs were thinking—“What do we do now? This has never happened before!”
My next challenge was to get the boar out of the farm.
The catch? I had no idea where the boar had forced entry and needed to find that same hole to let it back out—a task complicated by the massive space of the farm.
Suddenly, the boar darted away, swiftly slipping between me and Anna—giving me flashbacks of a prime Messi versus Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the 2011 Champions League semi-final.
I took a moment to ensure the dogs were unharmed, then turned back to find the boar had vanished.
Within a minute, I found the hole it had ripped open in the metal fence and set about repairing it.
Minutes later, a distant gunshot told me the boar’s story had likely come to a definitive end.
Reflecting on that day, we’re lucky everyone came out unscathed despite the danger—apart from the two unfortunate chickens. This incident was a massive reminder of the destructive potential of wild boars.
It also motivated me to prioritise my cardiovascular health. Nowadays, I commit to consistent, moderate-intensity cardio workouts to ensure I’m never caught unprepared again.
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Speak soon,
Leo
P.S. Below are pictures of my loyal companions, Anna and Nero, and snapshot evidence of my improved resting heart rate since that fateful day. I regret that no photos of the wild boar were taken, as action had to be taken ASAP, so the one attached is a random one found online so that you have an idea.