17 November 2013 / leggypeggy

Jackals—the clean-up crew of the jungle

India, jackals, national parks, overland travel, Prayaan India Overland, travel, wildlife

A golden jackal off to check out a possible meal

India has no shortage of golden jackals, and that’s probably just as well because these dog-like critters play an important role in the country’s food chain.

Put simply, jackals clean up the bodies. They are ever on the alert for signs of a carcass that needs to be finished off. Hordes of descending vultures, the calls of crows or the smell of rotting meat are all signals for jackals to rush to the scene of the kill.

Once there, they will wait patiently until the original predator leaves the kill for any reason. They then move in swiftly to eat as much as they can before the predator returns.

Jackals generally travel in pairs, but will form packs when hunting larger game such as small deer and antelopes.

When carcasses and wild prey are scarce, jackals are more likely to seek out insects, fruit and vegetables than kill poultry, lambs and goat kids. That said, some jackals must have a severe caffeine addiction because they can be nuisance where coffee beans are grown.

We’ve seen jackals in most of the national parks we’ve visited and as we’ve driven through the countryside. Usually we see them in pairs, but we have also seen a group of four or five. Those were far enough away, it was hard to count them. Others have come quite close to us and we’ve certainly heard plenty of jackals howling at night, but apparently only a rabid jackal will attack a human.

Like the fox in Western literature, the jackal is often cast as the trickster or mischief maker in Indian folklore and stories.

I was intrigued to find a website asking for input on sightings of golden jackals in India. The website says that although jackals occur throughout the country, very little is known about them. I’m off now to add my experiences.