Suspected jackal attack leaves eight injured in Diamond Harbour, India

The Indian publication "The Telegraph" reported that little is confirmed in this case, except that the assault of an unidentified predator injured several people.

Initial reports of the attack emerged on Saturday, February 3. By the evening of Sunday, Greenwich Time, eight people had been injured in two districts: Mosharhat Gram Panchayat and Sarisha.

- Given the descriptions from the victims, we have reason to suspect that the attacks could have been carried out by a golden jackal, or possibly several jackals," noted Milan Mandal, a forester from the South 24-Parganas district.

Those assaults conveyed that the animal didn't resemble a pure dog but rather appeared to have aspects of a fox. Jackals are considered a hybrid of dogs and foxes.

Currently, eight people are receiving treatment at Diamond Harbour Superspeciality Hospital. Fortunately, none are in critical condition.

Panic has begun to permeate among the residents. A 40-person team of forest workers has been deployed for a search and rescue operation. Two trap cages have been set up, one in each area of concern.

- Regrettably, so far, we have found no traces of the predator," conveyed Milan Mandal.

The forestry department employs megaphones to advise residents against venturing out after dusk.

- Golden jackals predominantly operate during nighttime. Attacks on humans are unusual but can occur," the forester conceded. "- A jackal won't typically go after a human for food. However, if threatened, it may attack - he declared.

In Kolkata (approximately 50 kilometers from Diamond Harbour), meadows by the airport runway have long been home to jackals, which have occasionally accessed the runway and disrupted flight operations.

In November 2022, jackals assaulted at least 17 residents of Palashipara in Nadia. A year before this incident, approximately 40 people were injured in the Katihar district of Bihar.

Source: The Telegraph India