Man denies mistreating wild boar ‘Little Tommy’ in Hong Kong court

A Hong Kong man who kept a wild pig as a pet after discovering it covered in dog bites pleaded not guilty to mistreating the animal, affectionately called “Little Tommy”, in court this week. The boar has been in police custody since the man was arrested in November.
Shing Wing-biu, 63, denied charges of cruelty to the animal but pleaded guilty to his failure to make a report after Little Tommy bit a human, according to SCMP.
Shing told the Kwun Tong Court that he never used violence against his pet, except for when he occasionally gave it a light kick, which his lawyer said did not qualify as animal cruelty.
As for Little Tommy, prosecutors said that on the day the pig bit a pedestrian, the victim didn’t take any further action because Shing had apologized.
Members from the Hong Kong Wild Boar Concern Group attended the court yesterday. The animal rights activists said they formed the group in November when they were tipped off about the wild boar. They called for relevant people to conduct medical examinations and location studies if they planned on releasing Little Tommy into the wild. The director of the group suggested that a tracking device be put on the boar.
[Image via SCMP]

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