Haifa resident Alon Gilad has created a special whistle to deter wild boar from roaming throughout the city, the local Haifa paper Colbo News reported last week.
Gilad, a mechanical engineer who is pursuing a degree in bio-medical engineering at the Technion, told Colbo News that his agenda is to make Haifa residents feel safe again. Gilad printed the whistle on a 3D printer.
The number of wild boar in northern and central Israel has been rising in recent years, as evidenced by increasing reports of attacks against humans by the highly territorial animal, mainly in the city of Haifa, which has become the unfortunate boar attack capital of Israel. Late last year a 48-year-old woman was moderately injured after being knocked down by a charging wild boar while hiking in Ofer Forest. 
Gilad told Colbo News that the idea came to him because of all the wild boar he encounters when he runs in Haifa in the evenings. "I run into boar all the time," said Gilad. "I use the whistle when I meet them in an aggressive situation, say a mom and her babies."
Boar sightings have become more frequent, especially since the coronavirus outbreak, as people tend to stay indoors more, leaving streets empty for the boars to roam.
Celia Jean contributed to this report.