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As It Happens

Wild boars stranded on frozen lake saved by curling

Canada's not the only country that loves to curl. Sweden also has a national affection for the sport. So when Jakob König saw a wild boar stranded on a frozen lake, he knew he had to "hurry hard."
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A touring skating club saves wild boars stranded on the ice. (Jakob König)
As It Happens5:51Wild Boars Saved By Curling

Members of an ice skating club rescued four wild boars that were stranded in the middle of a frozen lake by curling them to shore.

The young boars had wandered out to an island on frozen Lake Baven, near Stockholm. They became stuck because their hooves couldn't gain any traction on the ice. 

"They were kinda imitating Bambi because they were getting no grip and they were trying to stand up and [kept] falling down," Jakob König tells As It Happens guest host Tom Harrington. "It was quite a nasty sound."

The skaters used their trekking poles to "curl" the boars off the ice, "Two of us just poked it. It was making sounds and trying to bite but it realized it had no chance [to make it to shore by itself]," says König. 

Two men curl a boar to safety after it was stranded in the middle of a frozen lake near Stockholm. (Jakob König)

"It was quite annoyed but after 100 meters, they kind of settled with the situation."

König says the boars were not fully grown and had a cuddly appearance.

"They looked more like bears, or you know the TV series Alf? They kinda looked like that."

Jacob Konig says the wild boars he saved look like the fictional TV character, Alf (cbc)


König says the group curled all four boars to shore in about 20 minutes, unharmed. Hurry hard!

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