Jackal attack in Jagatsinghpur: Residents injured as fear grows in Kankaradia village

Kendrapada: Around four individuals, including two women, were injured by a jackal at Kankaradia village in Jagatsinghpur district on Tuesday evening. The injured have been identified as Puspalata Pradhan, Manorama Sutar, Babuli Mallick and Saroj Puhan.A combing operation was underway in the village and its vicinity to capture the jackal. “We are investigating the circumstances under which the attack took place. All the injured persons are undergoing treatment in the community health centre (CHC) at Earasama,” said Balitutha forester Padmanava Rout. “We visited Kankaradia and its nearby villages on Wednesday and created awareness about the consequences of human-jackal conflicts,” he added.Puspalata was attacked by the jackal at 7:30 pm while tending to her orchard. Manorama was wounded by the animal at 6:30 pm while standing in front of her house. Narrating the incident, Manorama said, “The jackal emerged from a paddy field and attacked me. On hearing my distress call, some locals rushed to the spot and the animal retreated into nearby bush.”Residents of Kankaradia and surrounding areas are living in fear following the jackal attack. “Jackal is a dangerous animal and our lives and those of our children are at risk,” said Basanta Jena, 32, a Kankaradia resident.“There is fear among the children, dissuading them from attending school. Officials are not doing anything to check the jackal menace. People are so terrified that some are going to the fields in groups, armed with sticks and weapons,” said Narahari Jena, another villager.“Jackals used to reside in bushes. But many villagers cut away large tracts tracts of bushes and converted them into agricultural lands. Many have also constructed houses on these lands. This may be a reason behind the rise in jackal attacks. Jackals kill mice which damage crops and are also known as scavengers as they eat carcasses of cows and other animals,” said Sudhansu Parida, an environmentalist and district secretary of People for Animals.