Jackal rescued in Vasant Vihar

When employees of a government organisation in south-west Delhi’s Vasant Vihar area reached their office on Wednesday, they were in for a huge surprise, as an adult female jackal was hiding outside the building. The wildlife officials later rescued the animal. It will be released into its natural habitat after a day.

According to the employees of the Government Servant Cooperative House Building Society, they did not disturb the animal as it looked distressed.

“When I reached the office in the morning, my colleagues informed me that a jackal was huddled in a corner outside the building. We decided that it was best not to disturb it and call the Wildlife SOS for assistance. The animal seemed to have wandered from a small stretch of a forested area near Vasant Vihar,” said Deepak Mandal, who called the Wildlife SOS, following which a two-member team of expert rescuers was immediately dispatched to the location.

“The jackal had taken up shelter in the residential area as it must have been chased by wild dogs. We had to take great care to make sure that the rescue operation went on smoothly. The animal has been kept under observation to make sure that it isn’t injured or unwell,” said a member of the Wildlife SOS, a rescue and conservation organisation.

Geeta Seshamani, Co-founder of Wildlife SOS, said: “Finding a jackal in urban areas is uncommon but not rare. They are found in the Delhi Ridge area. Habitat loss, rampant encroachment, and human activities in the region are forcing animals to move out. The urban wildlife usually becomes victim of unfounded fears and ignorance. We are very thankful to the Vasant Vihar residents for being sensitive to the plight of the distressed animal.”

Last month, a Civet, a big-sized cat, was recovered sitting inside the AC duct of a house in east Delhi’s Patel Nagar area.