Mumbai: A dehydrated female Indian golden jackal was rescued from a residential area near Navi Mumbai late on Tuesday night. Initially, Koparkhairane residents of Sector 19 area thought it was a dog roaming in the streets, but after realising it was a jackal, a few animal lovers contacted a non-governmental organisation, Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW).
The jackal was safely rescued by the team and is now being treated at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ (SPCA) centre in Thane.
On Tuesday midnight, an adult female jackal had strayed onto the back road of Sector 19 from the nearby mangroves. It was spotted at a densely populated area by a few residents and the watchman of a residential complex at Sector 19 of Koparkhairane. Surya Rao, one of the watchmen said, “The jackal was whining and limping while walking across the street. At first, we assumed it to be an injured dog. However, when we took a closer look, we realised it was jackal.”
One of the residents, Srikant Raskar, had known about the RAWW for the last eight months. Raskar immediately informed RAWW helpline at Thane, who sent a team. Within an hour, a team of five members of RAWW including Joaquim Naik, Rajesh Mahadik, Prathamesh Panchal, Hasmukh Valanju and Pawan Sharma reached the spot with the medical support.
The RAWW volunteers had also informed the forest department, who were accompanying them. After checking the CCTV camera footage of the area, the jackal was found in an isolated area and was rescued by the team. The jackal was taken to the SPCA centre in Thane, where he is being treated and kept under observation.
An official from SPCA said, “The adult female jackal was dehydrated and had minor injuries, but was soon stabilised. The jackal is currently under observation and shall soon be released.” The jackal shall be released back into the wild once declared fit by the veterinarians, added the official.
