Friends of Free Wildlife gives tender loving care to two little jackals

A heartwarming post on the Friends of Free Wildlife Facebook page is a fresh reminder of how much care wild animals need.

A baby jackal was found on a property in the Greater Kyalami Conservancy and was taken to Friends of Free Wildlife, an environmental conservation organisation on Maple Road in Kyalami.

The jackal received treatment and lots of tender loving care.

Friends of Free Wildlife chairperson, Margi Brocklehurst said another jackal, a female black-backed jackal was then brought to Friends of Free Wildlife. In a post on social media Brocklehurst said, the female jackal was found in Heidelberg on 20 October next to its dead mother, however, vets have treated the animal which was traumatised and covered in ticks and worms. Later the jackal died, unfortunately.

Brocklehurst provided the following facts about jackals:

• Common names include black-backed jackal and rooijakkals. Black-backed refers to the broad, dark saddle which, on the upper parts of the body, extends from the neck to the base of the tail. The Afrikaans name rooijakkals is appropriate as the head, flanks and limbs in adult are a rich reddish colour.
• Black-backed jackals have a distinctive call known almost as well as the howl of the wolf. They are the most common and best known of all the African carnivores. The name jackal is frequently used to denote the cunning and versatility so typical of this species.
• Despite intense persecutions as a livestock predator and rabies vector, the black-backed jackal has remained a common species in most parts of the province, even in areas close to large cities.

“We have a healthy population of jackals in the Kyalami area and surrounds.They also occur in areas such as Honeydew, Carlswald and in the south of Johannesburg,” Brocklehurst said.

• The black-backed jackal makes a distinctive wailing call, usually answered immediately by family members and a short while later by other nearby groups. Calls are most frequent during late afternoons and evenings. There is also a seasonal peak in calling in June and July that corresponds with the peak mating season.
• Black-backed jackals also make a diagnostic repetitive yapping call when locating large carnivores such as lions, spotted hyenas and especially leopards. This call, once recognised, can be used as a reliable aid to finding the large carnivore.

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