UPDATE: Jackal pups recover at CROW

FOUR jackal pups are well on the road to recovery after being found abandoned on a farm outside Empangeni last month.

Burrowed in the sugar cane, the pups, who were suspected to be less than 10-days-old at the time, were left abandoned after their mother attacked a farm worker collecting cane in the field.

After being taken to Dr Geoff Fourie at Empangeni Veterinary Hospital to be tube fed, the pups were transported to CROW (Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife) for further care and are currently coming along in leaps and bounds.

Now six weeks-old they have doubled in weight since they were admitted to the centre and are weighing in at a healthy 700 grams each.

Solids have now been introduced to their diets and they have much more energy and stamina now as a result.

‘Over the next month, the pups will be transferred from our clinic to one of our large outdoor enclosures here at the centre,’ said CROW Clinic Nurse, Sue-Ann Shutte.

‘As with all CROW’s wildlife patients, during all stages of their development and rehabilitation it is crucial we keep human contact and exposure to an absolute minimum in order to decrease the chances of them becoming imprinted and losing their natural fear of people.’

Depending on their progress, CROW is aiming to release them in the early months of 2016, with suitable release sites already being sourced.

Prior to their actual release, the jackals will need to spend some time in a large pre-release boma at their release site.

This will be crucial to help them transition and prepare for life back in the wild, by giving them the time and space they need to adjust to their new surroundings and hone their hunting skills, that will be crucial to their survival back in the wild.