Activists seek census of golden jackal, wild dog in state

According to Forest Department sources, camera traps are located inside all the four tiger reserves in the state to monitor the movement of all wild animals including the nocturnal animals like pangolin, porcupine, wild dog and jackals, but there is no dedicated funds allocated to study the small mammals. The documentation of migratory birds has improved after the state started conducting integrated census with dedicated funds, sources said.

“Tiruvallur, Chennai and Kancheepuram are home to jackals and Pulicat marsh near Andhra supports good jackal population. At a time when zoonotic infections like bird flu, saars, corono and rabies are globally discussed, there is a need for micro-level monitoring of all wild animals including the small mammals,” said KVRK Thirunaranan, founder, The Nature Trust. Guindy National Park, Nanmangalam, Pallikaranai and Chengalpet forests are home to jackal population and there is an ecological need to study them in detail, Thirunaranan said.

“Despite their wide range of distribution across TN, jackals are not studied in detail. Districts like Chennai, Kancheepuram, Nagapattinam, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai supports jackal population studying their micro details like the big cats will help carve out efficient conservation policies in northern and delta districts,” said conservation scientist A Kumaraguru of Biodiversity Conservation Foundation. The grizzled squirrel sanctuary in Virudhunagar is studied in detail but again the Malabar giant squirrel found in Theni and Coimbatore forests are often not documented, he said, adding any study on small mammals will certainly help the policy makers improvise the ecosystem in semi-urbanised areas, where jackals are found. Any long-term study on less known mammals will be crucial for further life science studies and research works, Kumaraguru added.

There is a recent spurt in the number of poaching cases involving pangolins and mangoose. If there is a dedicated census focussing on small mammals, it will also help in to curb the incidence of poaching, said a source with Traffic India, that monitors the illegal wildlife trade in India.