British ambassador bruised after boar gives chase in Vienna park
Britain's ambassador to Austria has generally been given a warm welcome but one wild boar at least appears to have little time for diplomatic niceties.
Leigh Turner, London's envoy since August, has revealed that walking earlier this month in woods near Vienna he was chased by a "massive" specimen and sustained minor injuries.
Turning a corner, Turner found himself face-to-face with a group of "four or five hulking adults and countless piglets". He turned and walked slowly away.
"Moments later I hear a noise behind me like galloping horse, and turn to see a massive wild boar, head down, charging straight at me," Turner recounted on his blog on Monday.
My bruising encounter with a wild boar in #Vienna - my new blog https://t.co/mKRW0yxOni pic.twitter.com/VvtA4KmZ0F
— Leigh Turner (@LeighTurnerFCO) May 15, 2017
Breaking into a run, Turner tried to escape by climbing a pile of tree trunks, but slipped on the wet wood, scratching and bruising himself in the process.
"By the time I turned round, the boar (no doubt thinking 'that's got rid of that swine') had trotted back to join the rest of the group, which was melting back into the forest," he said.
"All my minor injuries were self-inflicted: the boar never made contact."
According to a hunting website quoted by Turner, boars are "even more dangerous" to hunt than bears, with "thick, razor-sharp tusks, and a razor-sharp mind".
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Leigh Turner, London's envoy since August, has revealed that walking earlier this month in woods near Vienna he was chased by a "massive" specimen and sustained minor injuries.
Turning a corner, Turner found himself face-to-face with a group of "four or five hulking adults and countless piglets". He turned and walked slowly away.
"Moments later I hear a noise behind me like galloping horse, and turn to see a massive wild boar, head down, charging straight at me," Turner recounted on his blog on Monday.
My bruising encounter with a wild boar in #Vienna - my new blog https://t.co/mKRW0yxOni pic.twitter.com/VvtA4KmZ0F
— Leigh Turner (@LeighTurnerFCO) May 15, 2017
Breaking into a run, Turner tried to escape by climbing a pile of tree trunks, but slipped on the wet wood, scratching and bruising himself in the process.
"By the time I turned round, the boar (no doubt thinking 'that's got rid of that swine') had trotted back to join the rest of the group, which was melting back into the forest," he said.
"All my minor injuries were self-inflicted: the boar never made contact."
According to a hunting website quoted by Turner, boars are "even more dangerous" to hunt than bears, with "thick, razor-sharp tusks, and a razor-sharp mind".
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