First suspected case of jackal-dog hybridisation recorded in Mumbai

A study on the golden jackal recorded the first suspected case of jackaldog hybridisation in Mumbai The baseline survey on golden jackal distribution in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region MMR was conducted between December 2022 and July 2023 by the Wildlife Conservation Society WCSIndia in collaboration with the Mangrove FoundationThe research project report was submitted in March 2024 to the Mangrove Foundation by WCS India researchers Nikit Surve and Dolsy David A distance of 232 km was walked during the survey covering 108 out of 134 grids while the rest were inaccessible Golden jackal pugmarks were identified with assistance from the forest department staff but at sites where freeranging dogs also used a similar habitat it was difficult to ascertain the species from pugmarksScat solid waste left by animals was identified based on their external appearanceA freeranging dog left and a golden jackal photographed at the same locationCamera traps were deployed in 68 locations in Mumbai and MMR The species that were captured in the camera traps include golden jackals Indian grey mongoose jungle cats freeranging dogs and humansGolden jackals were detected in 20 out of 26 locations in western Mumbai and 37 out of 44 locations in eastern Mumbai The Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary had the highest number of jackal pictures that were captured by camera traps and Thane the lowest Jackal activity was also captured in Navi Mumbai and western Mumbai mangrove areasThe report submitted by WCSIndia to the Mangrove Foundation states ldquoAt one of our study sites located in proximity to humans we encountered one individual who had a pale yellow coat His fur coat seemed a bit shorter than others The individual had long legs as compared to others This individual was with another golden jackal who showed a typical morphological appearance This could be a suspected case of jackaldog hybridisation in Mumbai which needs to be studied further This case opens the door for genetic studies on golden jackal hybridisation in Mumbai cityA jackal seen near a human settlement in Navi MumbaiThe anthropogenic hybridisation between wild canids and common freeranging domestic dogs is especially concerning since it may jeopardise the existence of endangered species Several research papers on hybridisation across the globe also mention that this phenomenon happens in animals as well as plants It is also said that hybridisation might change the genetic makeup of wild populationsrdquoWCSIndia researcher Dolsy David said ldquoSurveying for golden jackals in Mumbais mangrove forests is quite challenging as tides play an important role in survey timings and schedule We conducted camera trapping surveys to gain detailed information on the presence of golden jackals across their habitat During interview surveys multiple local people have mentioned that freeranging dogs and golden jackals have fights and often golden jackals run away Through one of our camera traps we found individuals from both the species urinating indication of territory marking at the same tree stump on different daysrdquoThe report also states that based on the data collected from camera traps the researchers examined the temporal overlap between golden jackals freeranging dogs and humans Golden jackals showed a higher temporal overlap with freeranging dogs throughout the study area as compared to humansldquoEven though the relative abundance index of humans was higher than that of golden jackals the nocturnal activity pattern of golden jackals reduced the overlap between them and humans On the other hand freeranging dogs showed temporal overlap with golden jackals in all ranges with the highest being in the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary The activity pattern shown by golden jackals in our study site was majorly nocturnal with peaks during dawn and dusk This particularly was inversely proportional to the activity pattern shown by humans using this landscape Other studies have also documented similar activity patterns for golden jackals and overlap with freeranging dogs Debata 2021 Marshall et al 2023 Stefanovi et al 2024 where golden jackals were observed to be nocturnal to avoid overlap with humans and freeranging dogs Debata 2021 Katna et al 2022rdquo the report statedBreeding behaviours including territorial marking through face rubs were documented by researchers Interestingly the observations by the researchers also revealed overlapping scentmarking behaviours between golden jackals and freeranging dogs hinting at potential interspecific interactionsldquoSuch interactions were further corroborated by anecdotes including instances of dogs chasing jackals underscoring the dynamic nature of humancanid relationshipsThe golden jackals risk hybridisation with domestic dogs in this urban and humanmodified landscape Studies conducted on other canid species including wolves and jackals have documented cases of hybridisation in these canids concerning feraldomestic dogs Stefanovi et al 2024 Tyagi et al 2023 Shameer et al 2022 We need to carry out indepth studies on the hybridisation of golden jackals using genetics The potential transmission of diseases such as rabies warrants further investigation though cases remain unconfirmedrdquo the report addedAn official from the Mangrove Foundation of the Maharashtra Forest Department said ldquoWe have received the report related to the jackal study done by WCSIndia but at the moment I do not have enough details regarding the findings of the study I will comment on this only after going through the reportrdquo68No of locations where camera traps were set up