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.

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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