April 24th, 2020 : Night of the Jackal

[xoxoxoBruce]

We’ve seen all sorts of critters come out of the woodwork in the urban absence of people.
A Coyote in downtown Chicago, along with bears, goats, deer, rabbits, birds, gators moving in from the burbs.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Each spring, Hayarkon Park in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv comes alive with joggers, children playing on jungle gyms, young families and 20-somethings picnicking and sunbathing.
These days, virtually the only sign of life in the park is the jackals.

With Tel Aviv in lockdown due to the coronavirus crisis, the sprawling park is all but empty. This has cleared the way for packs of jackals to take over this urban oasis in the heart of the city.
The animals arrive just before nightfall. While they may look like they’re having fun, lying in the grass and chasing after one another, Zvi Galin, director of the city’s veterinary

The coronavirus has brought out wildlife in other parts of Israel as well. In the northern city of Haifa, wild boar have been spotted on city streets. Ibex, or wild mountain goats, have taken over the boardwalk in the Red Sea resort town of Eilat.

They seem to get along pretty well except when it comes to food.

Galin estimates that about 100 jackals live in Hayarkon Park. He said they are afraid of people and usually tend to keep their distance.
However, on a recent evening, people approached the jackals and left plates of dog food for them. The animals quickly converged and fought over the welcome feast.
But Galin said it is important that people don’t feed the jackals or they could get used to mingling with humans and become aggressive if they aren’t fed.
“People have to understand that they are going to stay with us,” Galin said.

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