WHEN THREE ISN’T A CROWD

Project: Rescue and Rehabilitation

Recently, the team at the Wildlife Centre received a litter of three side-striped jackals.

These pups are over a month old and are absolutely adorable. Although they now look like little puppies, these animals are wild and should be kept wild in order for them to be safely released.

At this point they are too young for us to see the stripe on their coat, but that will develop over time – although we can see a very cute white tip on their tails! In order to recognise each jackal, we have marked them with a spray. This way, we can closely monitor the amount each one is eating and how much weight each individual is gaining.

Side-striped jackals are omnivorous and are opportunistic eaters. They eat fruit, insects, small mammals and carrion and can easily adapt their diet to their environment. It is said that the side-striped jackal is more nocturnal than the black-backed and golden jackal. At night these pups come out of the artificial den
we have created and play around with each other and the enrichment we provide. It’s great to see, as this shows us that these pups are exhibiting normal behaviours.

We’d like to thank Sam and Grant for their support and for taking these pups in when they found them on their farmland. We are hopeful that we can release them back to the spot where they came from when they are old enough.