Injured jackal wanders into south Delhi store, rescued

A two-member team from the NGO’s rapid response unit arrived at the location and found that the jackal was a young male who had sustained minor injuries on the stomach, presumably by a dog attack.

An injured golden jackal wandered into a medical store in south Delhi’s Adchini, presumably from the nearby ridge area, on Tuesday and was rescued by the NGO Wildlife SOS, officials said on Wednesday, adding the animal is under surveillance until it recovers.

The jackal was struggling to move and had taken refuge under a shelf in the back of the store. Concerned for the animal’s well-being, the store owner informed the police, who in turn alerted Wildlife SOS. (HT Photo)

An official of the NGO said the animal was discovered by the owner of a medical store located on Aurobindo Marg.

“The jackal was struggling to move and had taken refuge under a shelf in the back of the store. Concerned for the animal’s well-being, the store owner informed the police, who in turn alerted Wildlife SOS,” the official said.

“A two-member team from the NGO’s rapid response unit arrived at the location and found that the jackal was a young male who had sustained minor injuries on the stomach, presumably by a dog attack,” the official said, adding the rescue operation took nearly 20 minutes, as they did not want to startle the animal.

Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO, Wildlife SOS, said, “With more and more habitats being fragmented, wildlife sightings in urban areas have become very common. The jackal is a very adaptive and ubiquitous canid species. In this case, it was crucial to approach the animal with utmost caution to not cause further stress or fear. Our team is extremely well-trained in carrying out such rescues.”

The golden jackal, which resembles a small dog, is native to the Indian subcontinent and plays a significant role in forest ecosystems. It is omnivorous and feeds on a variety of small mammals such as hares, birds and fish. The species is protected under Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and their wild population is estimated to be around 80,000. The animal is found in parts of the southern ridge in the Capital.