Why golden jackals have made home in Kolkata and Guwahati airports
As habitats shrink, large tracts of unused land around aerodromes that act as safety buffers are attracting wildlife. Representational image. | Soumyajit Nandy/Wikimedia Commons
Jamir Ali runs a tea-stall at Paschim Rajbati village, four kilometres from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on the outskirts of Kolkata. A canal behind his thatched-roof shop carries the waste dumped from the neighbouring households and meat shops fighting for space. Solid waste lies scattered close to the canal and street corners. The 50-year-old tea seller said that golden jackals (
Canus aureus) start moving in packs once the evening sets in but have hardly been a cause of trouble to anybody.