Villagers of Tejur village in Maharashtra’s Junnar division helped the forest department rescue an injured young golden jackal by informing the authorities.

The residents of this village discovered the jackal in a semi-conscious state in a field and they immediately alerted the Maharashtra Forest Department who while rushing to the spot also informed the Wildlife SOS about this incident.

The jackal which was injured was carefully transported to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre and is currently under intensive care provided by Wildlife SOS veterinarians.

Sharing details about the creature, Dr. Nikhil Bangar, Wildlife Veterinary Officer said: “When we reached the spot, the jackal was lying motionless and we administered a few medicines before bringing it back to the centre. We suspect that the animal was probably injured in a conflict situation. We have kept the jackal under intensive care and will keep monitoring its condition.”

The jackal, according to Dr. Bangar, had suffered complete hindquarter paralysis and was unable to bear its own body weight. The injured animal, estimated to be eight-month-old, was taken to MLRC.

This Centre in Junnar is jointly run by Wildlife SOS and the Forest Department.

Golden jackal which is also called Indian jackal is native to the Indian subcontinent. Omnivorous in nature, they feed on a variety of small mammals, birds, fishes, hares and even fruits. The species is protected under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and its estimated wild population is said to be 80,000.

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