Four jackal pups saved in Mathura

Mathura, July 19 (IANS) Four jackal pups, around a fortnight old, were on Friday rescued by a team of Wildlife SOS from a field in Barari village.

They are currently under expert care at the NGO's animal care unit in Agra.

Barari villagers woke up to strange sounds and distress shrieks from a distant field. Closing in they found the four pups huddled together in the field.

The Wildlife SOS was contacted as their elephant centre is close by.

The rescue team members thought it best to wait for the mother jackal. But after hours of waiting when she did not turn up, they decided to transfer them to the rescue facility centre. Of the four, three are females.

Baijuraj M.V., Director Conservation Projects, Wildlife SOS, said: "We tried our best to reunite the jackal pups with their mother. But much to our disappointment, she was nowhere to be found. We suspect that she might have met with some fatal accident."

S. Ilayaraja, Wildlife SOS Deputy Director, Veterinary Services, said: "The jackal pups were extremely weak and under immense stress at the time of rescue. Their chances of survival appeared bleak. So we put them in intensive care and treatment. Their condition has improved greatly over time, and the pups are growing stronger and healthier with each day."

The Golden Jackal (Canis aureu), also known as the common jackal or Asiatic jackal, belongs to the canidae family and is a native to the Indian sub-continent.

Jackals play an important ecological role and are valuable for the health of a habitat.

Omnivores in nature, they feed on small mammals, insects, hares, fish, birds and fruits and often venture into human habitats in search of food. This species is protected under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.