Name: Rescued Black-Backed Jackal Pups final stage of their journey to complete Freedom. | Videos | Gan Jing World
Uploaded: 2019-06-21T00:00:00.000Z
Duration: 2 min 28 s
Description: The team at Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation rescued some Jackal pups from a farm, after the mother had been killed. They were found in a terrible state, covered ... | Videos | Gan Jing World

Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation

https://video1-us-west.cloudokyo.cloud/video/v3/47/a8/36/47a83632-a9f9-48af-9a49-22923bd7d7e2/master.m3u8

The team at Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation rescued some Jackal pups from a farm, after the mother had been killed. They were found in a terrible state, covered in ticks and fleas, and severely dehydrated. Since the rescue, they have been lovingly raised and rehabilitated by Wild and Free Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Hectorspruit. Regular injections, vaccinations against Rabies and other diseases, lots of love and care, has seen to it that the pups were soon healthy and ready for full rehabilitation. A few months ago they were joined by two females from another facility, and have since formed a family unit pack similar to that of Wild Dogs.

Jackals, especially Black-backed Jackals, are one of the most misunderstood species among the Wildlife of the world. They are the cleaners of the eco-system, controlling rodent populations, and targeting weak or diseased animals to feast on, thus removing disease-causing bacteria from the environment. Known and reviled for being the vectors of diseases like rabies, and their less endearing habits of targeting pregnant and compromised livestock, they are mercilessly shot, poisoned and trapped. Extermination happens to the extent that there are now pockets of extinction, where there clever canids have been completely eradicated. These areas experience the results of the Jackals not being present, manifesting as exploding populations of animals such as rats, mice, mongooses to name a few. This imbalance in turn results in other problems for the fragile ecosystems.

In conjunction with the local Ecological experts, a reserve in need of Jackals was identified, and last week, the six young adults were moved to their pre-release enclosure, to enable them to get used to their new environment before final release to freedom.

A team of vets was present, while each one of the jackals was shaved on the flank for easy initial ID in the bush, and received their final vaccinations. They were weighed and measured for adequate record-keeping.

Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation supplied and fitted a state-of-the-art geo tagging collar to the Alpha Male, to enable the tracking of their integration into their new habitat. Nicknamed ‘Jack’, he was the only animal to be sedated for safety reasons while we ensured proper fitment of the collar. After recovering from the sedative, Jack soon exhibited typical jackal behaviour, by trotting at speeds of 2km/hour – clearly visible on the App monitoring the tracking unit, providing real-time tracking of the animals. Still in its testing phase, this light-weight solar-powered tracking unit promises to become a real asset in the war against wildlife crimes, such as poaching.

We would like to thank Deidre Joubert Huyser from Wild and Free Wildlife Rehabilitation for the excellent job she has done with the complete rehabilitation of these special animals. Her dedication, sleepless nights, and the care she takes with every single animal under her care, is quite astounding to watch.

It is with deep gratitude to our donors and supporters that we are able to show you the results of our latest work. As always, #Transparency is of paramount importance to show what your loving donations have enabled us to achieve. We are not able to do this without you. Special mention goes out to Champions 4 Wildlife and Manjul Dixit. Thank you.

To Jack and his family, and their soon to be final journey of freedom: Run free, run straight, and may you finally experience the freedom of the veld, like all wildlife are supposed to.

Follow us on Face book at: https://www.facebook.com/wildheartwildlifefoundation
#WHWF
#EthicalConservation