A wild boar crossing Yangtze River in 12 minutes in Nanjing. Photo: web

While conducting routine inspections through cameras on the Yangtze River Third Bridge, officials from the Nanjing Maritime Bureau Traffic Management Center unexpectedly discovered a large animal swimming in the river. After zooming in, they found that the large animal was a wild boar. Approximately 12 minutes later, the wild boar successfully reached the opposite bank of the Yangtze River, quickly landed and disappeared into the night.

Maritime staff members noticed that the wild boar had a strong and agile physique and swam fairly fast . The subject was quickly identified as an adult wild boar, and its swimming posture was very flexible. It even actively avoided various vessels sailing in the Yangtze River.

Veterinarians explained that wild boars have a small body density, short limbs, and a large proportion of the trunk, which provides greater buoyancy in the chest and abdominal cavity. In addition, their fur is oily and has good waterproofing properties, making them natural swimmers. However, wild boars mainly live in mountainous areas. The reason for this crossing of the Yangtze River may be due to factors such as food availability and wild boar density, indicating a desire to find a new habitat or simply a momentary impulse.