GOLDEN JACKAL
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Context
- The operation was carried in a village, named Waghale. It is located Junnar Range of Pune district of Maharashtra.
- It was a 3-hour-long successful operation, carried by Wildlife SOS and the Maharashtra Forest Department.
- After rescue this 3-4 years old jackal was examined the veterinary team from Wildlife SOS, and found to be in good health.
Other Details
- After making sure jackal has no injuries, it was again released in the Junnar range, its natural habitat.
Golden Jackal
- A native species to the Indian subcontinent, they are also known as, Canis Aureus.
- Other names are - Asiatic Jackal , Common Jackal.
- Size wise they are little bigger than foxes but smaller than wolves.
- Distinctive features –
- Golden body
- Dark black fur
- Bushy tail
- Raised ears
- Short legs
- With an approximate population of 80,000, they usually live in pairs in the wild.
- They can live in a variety of natural habitat some of them are -
- Forested,
- Has scrub
- Savanna type grassland
- Semi-arid or semi urban type
- In valleys
- Distribution –
- Southeast Europe
- Central Asia
- Few regions of South and Southeast Asia like India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (for eg. Maharastra, Gujarat)
- Western Asia
- By nature these mammals are omnivorous and scavengers. They and can eat various small animals, fish, hares, birds, fruits etc.
Threat
- There are no major threats to golden jackal however some are -
- Open wells around the villages.
- Deliberate illegal killing and poisoning.
- Hunting, wildlife trafficking, man-animal conflict
- Legal culling.
- Highway accidents.
Benefits
- They can play an important role in the sustenance of forest ecology.
- They can help in getting rid of large quantities of animal waste.
- In some human inhabited regions of Europe they also considered as crop pest rodents ensuring healthy agricultural produce.
Conservation status
- These are protected under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
- Falls under Least concern category as per IUCN.
Must read Article:
https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/international-union-for-conservation-of-nature
Wildlife SOS It is a non-profit organisation of India specially working for protection and conservation of wild animals. Established in India in 1995 it has a main objective of Rescuing and rehabilitating of distressed wildlife in distress. |
PRACTICE QUESTION Consider following statements about Golden Jackals : 1. IUCN classifies them as Threatened. 2. These can be found in mountains with elevation more than 3000 meters. Select the correct answer using the codes below – A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both 1 and 2 D. Neither 1 nor 2 Answer: (D) |