Jackal strays into car showroom, rescued

Chennai: Employees of a second hand car showroom in Velachery opened the doors on Wednesday morning only to find an unusual guest — a jackal.
The surprised staff immediately informed officials at the Wildlife (Headquarters) Range office in Velachery who arrived and took the intruder to the Guindy National Park.
Range officer R Dhanasekaran told TOI that two forest guards along with three anti-poaching officials went to the showroom where the jackal was hiding in a corner under one of the 20 cars parked in two rows.It could have come into the showroom the previous night, he said.
"With little space to move around, our guards and watchers found it difficult to trap it. Actually the last car was parked close to the wall and there was no space to go on the side. After nearly an hour's struggle, the jackal was trapped by the forest staff," he said.
Another forest guard said the jackal managed to give a slip and hid under the parked cars. Then it was hiding in a corner under one of the 20 cars parked in two rows. and the team had to go to a room near the parking area.
The team eventually threw a rope around its neck, held its mouth tightly and bound its feet.
The showroom, on Velachery Main Road, is close to the perimeter wall of the IIT-Madras campus from where the jackal is likely to have strayed, Dhanasekaran said.
A number of jackals have been known to roam on the verdant IIT-M campus but they do not usually stray outside.
The GNP is an major habitats for these jackals.
A few years ago, the jackal population inside the Children's Park grew, following which officials released a few of them into the adjoining Guindy National Park.
Their population gradually increased and now more than 50 jackals, including young ones, live there.
Jackals are found living in villages, farms. Normally go out at dusk and return to their burrows at dawn. Primarily a scavenger, the jackals also feed on garbage and supplement its diet with rodents, reptiles, insects and fruits. In the city, besides the GNP, the jackals are also found in the IIT-M, Theosophical Society and Adyar estuary (Adyar Poonga Trust), wildlife authorities add.