Latvian police chase wild boars through capital

RIGA, Latvia, May 5 (UPI) -- A police dashboard camera in the Latvian capital recorded the pursuit of a pair of unwelcome loiterers -- wild boars wandering through the center of the city.

The dashcam footage, shared on YouTube by Mayor Nils Usakovs, shows police and veterinarians chasing two wild boars through central Riga Saturday.

The police and veterinarians are able to corner the animals next to a fence in a grassy area, but one of the boars manages to get free from its captors and run off in the opposite direction, with the police vehicle turning to pursue.

The escaped boar continues to run free at the end of the video, but officials said both of the animals were eventually sedated and relocated to a nearby forest. Usakovs confirmed officers had to use a Taser on one of the swine.

Local officials said boar incursions into Riga are becoming an increasing problem. A large group of the animals was recently sighted grazing alongside tram lines.

"When you've got a town created in the middle of the woods, you shouldn't wonder that forest animals will be living there too," local councilor Askolds Klavins told Latvian Radio.