Branded as bad omens, jackals jeopardised by habitat loss

CHENNAI: Jackals are one of the most misunderstood creatures and have always been associated with the fictitious world of ghosts.

Their howls are often portrayed as a bad omen that brings misfortune. In horror movies, the calmness of the night is always broken by the eerie howling of a jackal or a wolf.

“Their population had dwindled alarmingly and the incidence of jackal poaching among sorcery and black magic practitioners is still an issue for conservationists. It’s sad that the howl or sighting of a jackal has superstitious connotations in this day and age,” says wildlife conservationist K Brinda of Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Trichy.

“Jackals are often targeted for their teeth and nails that are often poached out of India for the international black magic market,” said a TN wildlife official monitoring the illegal wildlife trade.

Scientific publications by Conservation India and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun had confirmed the killing of jackals for superstitious practices, but the real threat faced by the jackals is habitat loss.

Unlike the tigers or elephants, there is no dedicated census for the jackals and wolves.

All over the world, these animals portrayed as mysterious and uncanny suffer the maximum depletion in their population, the official adds.