A jackal has been causing panic in a locality within the Burdwan Municipality area, near the Damodar river for over a week. The animal severely injured a young boy last evening.
In Edilpur, within Ward 24 of Burdwan town, a fully-grown jackal has been repeatedly entering residential areas since Monday. Several residents have reported sightings of the animal roaming or running near the sparsely populated neighbourhood. On Thursday, shepherds chased the jackal after it attempted to drag a child from a grazing field near the river.
The most serious incident occurred last evening when the jackal entered the home of Sita Biswas. Her seven-year-old son screamed upon seeing the animal, prompting the jackal to attack him. The boy suffered multiple wounds to his hands and upper thigh before the animal fled.
Frightened residents have reported the incidents to the Forest Range authorities. Paresh Sarkar, Chairman of Burdwan Municipality, said: “I have spoken to the forest officials, and arrangements are now being made to trap the jackal.”