CUTTACK: Showing exceptional bravery and presence of mind, a 14-year-old boy fought an adult wild boar, all while standing in knee-deep water of a canal for over one-and-a-half hours after the animal attacked him, at Gopalpur village in Cuttack’s Dampada block.
The teenager Suman Behera had gone to Nadikunda canal near his village to attend nature’s call in the morning when the incident took place. The boy was relieving himself near the canal embankment when the boar emerged from the bushes and charged towards him.
In a bid to escape, Suman jumped into the canal assuming that the wild animal would fear entering the water and go away. Instead, it pounced on him.
Suman then fought the animal in a frantic measure to survive. The youngster wrestled with the boar, which had grown tusks, in the knee-deep canal water and managed to overpower the animal. He clenched the animal at its neck tightly to prevent it from escaping or attacking him.
He then shouted for help following which locals rushed to the spot and informed the Banki fire station, which is located 200 metres from the spot. “When we arrived, the boy had already been holding the wild boar for over an hour, preventing it from escaping or harming him. As we tried to rescue them, the animal doubled its strength and efforts to escape. However, the boy showed immense bravery and did not let go of it,” said the fire services personnel.
The firemen first rescued the boar using an animal catcher and then helped Suman come out of the canal. Suman had sustained injuries in the tussle. He was taken to the Banki sub-divisional hospital for treatment where his condition is stated to be stable.
Meanwhile, the 14-year-old’s extraordinary courage has drawn high praise from all around.