Navi Mumbai: A golden jackal was found dead in Kharghar intertidal wetland area on Tuesday, leaving environmentalists and forest officials baffled. Range Forest Officer (RFO) Dnyaneshwar Sonavane said, “The jackal was found near mangroves along Sector 16. How did it come out and what caused its death is yet to be ascertained. We have sent the carcass for post-mortem to the government veterinary hospital at Panvel. It is difficult to make out anything from the decomposed body. We will know the details once we get the report.”
Expressing shock over the incident, NatConnect Foundation director B N Kumar said, “Golden jackals are normally found in mangrove zones but in Kharghar the animals are seen coming out into the open. This is yet another case of a human-wildlife conflict as there has been unchecked destruction of mangroves and wetlands in the satellite city.”
Activist Seema Tank said, “We have been alerting the forest and CIDCO authorities for a long time about golden jackals seen in Sector 16 apparently in search of food. Yet, no action seems to have been taken to protect the wild animal. The are many encroachments, which the authorities are neglecting,” she said.
“The population of migratory birds in this area has dwindled over the past three years, and it is now at risk of complete depletion due to sheer negligence and other vested interests. This disregard for nature and its biodiversity raises concerns about the consequences of prioritising monetary gain over environmental preservation, potentially leading to future calamities. If this trend continues, forests and natural landscapes may become nothing more than distant memories or relics of the past,” Tank added.
