The Jackals of Sultanpur-Fighting For Survival?

Sultanpur National Park

This post is not just about the Golden Jackals that play an important role in maintaining ecological balance, but also about some resident bird species that can be found in the last months of winter and as summer approaches. This year will see the continent burning under a heatwave, and it will affect everyone. Golden Jackals are opportunists who scavenge the grasslands for leftover food in the form of carcasses. The Sultanpur National Park in Gurgaon is in a critical condition today, as it is being choked off from its water sources. While at the park, one can spot desperate attempts to keep the place replenished with water. Unfortunately, rampant development activities have cut off rainwater runoff into the park area. It is in the context of these tough times that it seems poignant enough to see wildlife attempting to survive in such harsh conditions.

In these harsh times of extreme heatwave conditions, depleting resources, and shrinking biodiversity hotspots, one cannot ignore the consequences of these conditions on us human beings. I have been photographing these Jackals for the past six years post Covid and have noticed how bold these Jackals have become. Hiding in the middle of the tall grasses, stalking boldly, and sometimes playing with each other,  I find these Jackals fascinating. At times timid and at times curious, these Jackals are fighting for survival, vying for space with the numerous stray dogs that inhabit the Sanctuary.

When the grass dries up and the birds fly away, there will be nothing left for these Jackals to feed on. Life is tough, and these Jackals know how to fend for themselves. They will probably jump the fences and move into the surrounding settlements for food, and that is the crux of the man-animal conflict that we are facing all over the country. There have been reports of Tigers and Lions being spotted in towns and cities, often far away from their sanctuaries.

In the meantime, people can only trace the journey of the Golden Jackals into the unknown, disappearing forever, only to be recalled through photographs and memoirs written for them. Their journey is our journey, and what happens to them is what will ultimately happen to us. Unless, of course, we can mend our ways and think about co-existing with Nature.