Concerns have increased among environmentalists regarding conservation.According to the information, the body of the golden jackal was found on Sunday. This is the second incident this year when the dead body of a golden jackal has been found in the area. Kharghar activist Seema Tank said, “A friend who was out for a walk in the evening saw the remains. At first he thought it was the remains of a dog, but when he realized it was a jackal, he contacted me. To the forest department.” Informed and the body was taken for post-mortem by midnight.”
The golden jackal, also known as the common jackal. It is basically found throughout India including the Western Ghats. This species is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule II, and is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List.
The incident follows a similar discovery in March, when residents found a dead golden jackal in Sector 16 of Kharghar. “I was walking my dogs when they smelled the scent and led me to the jackal’s carcass. Only the face and tail part of the animal were left. Since the species is protected under the Wildlife Act, the carcass was disposed of by the authorities. Should have been done by and they were informed even then,” Tank said.
The forest official confirmed that the body has been sent to Panvel Veterinary Hospital for post-mortem. Residents believe Sunday’s incident was a hit-and-run case, as the body was found near a divider. “These animals usually roam in herds. However, due to large-scale encroachment and illegal activities in the mangroves and parts of the forest area, the animals are wandering and being killed,” said activist BN Kumar.
Activists highlighted that the absence of CCTV cameras makes filing police complaints futile. The incident has also drawn attention to the delay by CIDCO in transferring large portions of mangrove land to the forest department. Kumar said, “Illegal fish ponds have taken over the wetlands of Kharghar, due to which golden jackals are deprived of their food source and come to the streets. Authorities need to understand what would happen if jackals come in contact with dogs. If there are, it may increase the chance of rabies which can be fatal to humans.”
Forest officer AB Ghuge said it would take at least 48 hours for the post-mortem report to arrive. “In the last incident, we were not able to conduct a post-mortem because there was nothing left on the animal’s body except its rotten head and pieces of tail,” Ghuge said. Regarding the current case, Ghuge said preliminary evidence suggests that the animal had wandered off in search of food. “He had head injuries and so it is being treated as a hit and run case.”
