Mumbai: Forest dept plans study to know elusive golden jackals better

Officials say the study will help them understand the diet and activity pattern of golden jackals and the threats faced by them. Representation pic

Even as a study by the Sanjay Gandhi National Park shines more light on the lives of the once-considered elusive urban leopards of Mumbai, wildlife conservationists continue to be in the dark when it comes to golden jackals found in mangrove patches. To learn more about the wolf-like canids in and around Mumbai, the Mangrove Cell plans to launch a study, said officials.

Virendra Tiwari, additional principal chief conservator of forests, Mangrove Cell, said, "The Mangrove Foundation is in discussions with the Wildlife Conservation Society-INDIA to develop a project to study the occurrence and distribution of jackals in some mangroves areas of Mumbai Metropolitan Region. This is not exactly a population estimation exercise but a study to understand where the jackals occur in MMR and what is their habitat and distribution."

MMR has large tracts of mangroves in areas like a portion of the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary, Bhandup pumping station, Charkop, Versova, Vasai, Bhayander and Ghodbunder Road. While there have been many sightings of jackals in these locations, there has been no systematic gathering of data on them. Officials said the findings of the research will arm conservationists with scientific evidence and help them plan better strategies to protect the species. There have been many instances of jackals being rescued from human settlements in the vicinity of mangrove forests in Mulund and Vikroli. Officials said the research will help them understand the diet and activity pattern of golden jackals and the threats faced by them.

Golden jackals play an important role in forest ecology. The omnivorous animals feed on a variety of small mammals, birds, fish, hares and even fruits. They often become victims of hunting, wildlife trafficking, man-animal conflict and highway accidents. This species is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and has an estimated population of 80,000 in the wild.