Hong Kong  - A wild boar was shot dead by police in Hong Kong Wednesday to stop it from attacking residents in one of the city's high-rise apartment estates.

Marksmen were called when officers failed to disable the animal with tranquilizer darts, after it was seen lurking in thick bushes near the housing block in the built-up Tuen Mun district.

A police spokesman said the boar was killed because of concerns for safety of the residents.

Wild boar are common in rural parts of Hong Kong near its border with mainland China but are rarely seen in congested urban areas.

In September, a 120-kilogram wild boar was shot dead by police after it fought with pet dogs and bit two residents in a rural village near the Hong Kong-China border.

The wild boar population is believed to have grown in recent years in Hong Kong's rural areas, which cover more than 70 per cent of the territory's 1,078 square kilometres. (dpa)