Human intrusion at Trail-5 caused jackal bite spree

Islamabad : The human intrusions made by hikers and tourists visiting the Margalla Hills National Park’s Trail-5 have resulted into jackal bite spree leaving few visitors injured.

Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) Assistant Director Sakhawat Ali told this agency that a video of six-month back went viral on social media in which a jackal could be seen biting a tourist. “This incident has occurred approximately in July, 2019. People sharing this video presumed it a recent issue.

However, Municipal Corporation Islamabad (MCI) dog shooters have been called to shot down the particular wild jackal biting the hikers. He said the dog shooters were visiting the site after every two days in a week at alternate occasions.

Jackals, he said never attack humans whereas those having Rabies virus developed in them bite and attack people. “Another reason for this human-wildlife conflict was increasing population and non-cooperative, irresponsible behaviour of tourists visiting the MHNP,” he added.

Mr Sakhawat said jackals could be easily spotted in the park whereas the video showing the bite incident was of early morning duration.

Prior to the same incident, our team member was also bitten by a jackal and got vaccinated at a public hospital. “We have started creating awareness among the hikers and tourists to avoid visiting the Trails in the late evening hours where people did not pay attention to our exhortations which also resulted into the increase in human-wildlife encounters. The MHNP is basically for the wildlife where human interventions into their habitat would certainly have its repercussions,” he noted.

To a question, he said the government hospitals of the federal capital had the vaccine to cure jackal bites wound which costs from Rs700-800. He went on to mention that this incident was restricted to Trail-5 and the dog shooters'' team had paid two visits till now and would continue to control the situation.