Thousands sign petition to save boar that stole naked tourist's laptop after euthanasia fears

Earlier this month, a boar gave many of us a good laugh after it was captured on camera running away with a naked tourist's laptop. However, now thousands of people have signed a petition calling for the boar to be saved after it was revealed that it could be put down.

The original incident occurred in Berlin, Germany, and was shared to Instagram by user Adele Landauer.

Sharing a series of snaps to the social media site, Landauer revealed in the caption that the naked sunbather gave chase after realizing the wild boar snatched a plastic bag that had his laptop inside.

[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/CDlM18_lANd/]]

But despite giving many people a giggle, the story has taken an upsetting turn after it was revealed that the mother boar is now at risk of being put down.

The boar - nicknamed Elsa - did eventually abandon the laptop at Teufelssee lake in west Berlin, and has also been seen raiding herself to picnic baskets, the Mirror reports.

The publication reports that officials have revealed that Elsa may be "withdrawn" - which is understood to mean "killed" - due to her lack of caution around people.

[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/CDnvjS-qD3Y/]]

Per DW, head of the Grunewald forestry commission, Katja Kammer, has told public broadcaster RBB24 that the cheeky pig would be "primarily taken" away from the immediate areas where crowds have gathered more frequently due to the ongoing pandemic.

In response, a person by the name of Jeanine Pasteleurs has started a change.org petition calling for the boar's life to be spared.

[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/CD7EP7VF_U6/]]

She writes (translated from German): "It is completely ignored that this pig has been sharing its living space peacefully with the bathers for years."

After stressing that the boar never attacked the man despite being changed, Pasteleurs added:

"I ask you to sign this petition! The wild boar from Teufelssee deserves to survive! And maybe there will be a wildlife park or sanctuary that will grant [the boar] another life from trigger-happy people."

As of this writing, over 9,400 people have signed the petition.