Kerala’s most familiar yet overlooked wild canid has finally received the spotlight it deserves. In a landmark report titled “The Uncelebrated Wanderers”, wildlife experts Dr. P. S. Easa, S. Dhruvaraj, and Dr. Sandeep Das of Aranyakam Nature Foundation have unveiled the first comprehensive study of Golden Jackals (Canis aureus) in the state, combining the power of citizen science with cutting-edge ecological research.
The study answers a simple yet profound question: What do we know about the jackals living in our backyards, farmlands, and city fringes?
A Statewide Effort with People at Its Core
In a unique initiative, the Foundation invited the public to participate in mapping the presence of jackals across Kerala. The response was overwhelming: nearly 2,200 contributors shared over 5,000 observations from 874 villages, making this one of the largest citizen-driven wildlife databases in the state.
Participants provided details of sightings—locations, habitats, behaviours—and their perceptions of jackals. To ensure reliability, submissions were cross-verified with follow-up interviews and expert reviews.
“This study is as much about people as it is about jackals,” said Dr. P. S. Easa, lead author of the report. “The public helped build an unprecedented picture of the species’ distribution and role in our shared landscapes.”
What the Study Found
- Widespread yet selective: Jackals were reported in approximately 70% of Kerala’s villages, particularly in lowlands below 200m, where they thrive in coconut groves, cashew plantations, paddy fields, and even near urban centres like Kozhikode, Thrissur, and Thiruvananthapuram.
- Absences that tell a story: Strikingly, no jackals were reported from western Alappuzha near Vembanad Lake and Attappadi’s open plains, likely due to waterlogging, dense infrastructure, or competition with other predators.
- Adapting to extremes: High-altitude sightings in Munnar and Eravikulam hint at small, cold-adapted populations.
- Population insights: The estimated number of jackals in Kerala ranges between 20,000 and 30,000.
Ecological and Cultural Insights
Field anecdotes revealed fascinating local knowledge. In Wayanad, villagers linked the control of wild boar populations to jackals, while in Palakkad, a decline in jackal numbers was associated with an increase in peafowl populations.
The report also documents a cultural shift in naming: while ‘Kurukkan’ remains common, younger generations increasingly use ‘Kurunari,’ leading to growing confusion about jackal identity in local knowledge.
Public Perception: Friends, Not Foes
Contrary to common misconceptions, 75% of respondents did not consider jackals a nuisance. Many recognised their role in controlling rodents and boars, with only a minority expressing concerns about poultry losses or rare rabies incidents.
Why It Matters
Jackals thrive in human-modified landscapes—areas often overlooked in Kerala’s forest-centric conservation approach. This raises an urgent question: How do we conserve species that live outside our protected areas?
The report recommends:
- Preserving open spaces in rural and urban development
- Strengthening waste management to reduce dependence on garbage
- Promoting public awareness to prevent conflict
- Conducting long-term scientific monitoring of populations and hybridisation risks
A Call for Inclusive Conservation
The Golden Jackal, long an uncelebrated wanderer, emerges from this report as a symbol of resilience—and a reminder that conservation is not limited to forests, but belongs everywhere.