Jackals mark Cheetal in unique kill

Place: Bijrani, Corbett Tiger Reserve

Time: 26 June, 2010

Photostory: Majid Hussain

It was a warm evening on 26th June 2010. We had driven into the Bijrani zone of Corbett Tiger Reserve along with guests Pankaj Dixit and his family. I accompanied them as this was their first visit to Jim’s Jungle Retreat and Corbett Park.  

Passing through waterholes number 2 and 3, heading toward the ‘Ratapani’ track, we were suddenly aware of a furiously sharp alarm call of a cheetal deer. We stopped the jeep immediately, searching the grasslands and undergrowth for the apparent cause of alarm.

Suddenly, from out the bushes came a cheetal, running frantically and chased closely by two jackals! The deer had barely reached a clearing in the grass when the two jackals fell upon it and proceeded to tear it apart.

We were all shocked: for within the next ten minutes there wasn’t much to recognize what was left of the deer!

A sighting such as this one is rare, made all the more curious as there was no sign of additional jackals – they usually are found in packs – in a territory marked and owned by a very large male tiger.

Additionally, jackals are generally opportunistic scavengers and often take on prey that is still immature or of small size. In this highly unusual sighting, we were watching a couple of jackals, possibly a mating pair, ambushing a fairly large and full-grown deer.

The entire episode lasted until we forced ourselves to drive away, the sunlight fading to a cool summer evening.