As Israel still grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, the residents of the northern city of Nahariya have been facing an unusual new adversary in recent days - jackals.
According to the city’s Galilee Medical Center, nine people arrived at the hospital over the last two days after they were bitten by the feral canines and were vaccinated against rabies.
After reports of jackal attacks in the area began to mount, Nature and Parks Authority canvassed the city to track down the brazen animal or animals behind the attacks.
One such attack took place after dark at a privately owned garage and was captured by a surveillance camera.
“It was about 6:30 pm, and we were sitting in the office. Suddenly a jackal came in,” recalled Muhammad Lubanasi, who works at the garage which is owned by his brother. “I stood next to the door and my brother was sitting down. [The jackal] pounced at me and bit me in the leg. I kicked him and he ran away. My brother chased after him with a mop.”
In a recording of another attack, a jackal can be seen pouncing on a lone man, biting him and dropping him to the ground.
A jackal attacks Muhammad Lubanasi
(Video: Muhammad Lubanasi)
Nature and Parks Authority said in a statement that the jackals behind the attacks are most likely infected with rabies, thus explaining their unusual behavior.
Dan Alon, an ecologist at the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, attributed the attacks to the sheer numbers of jackals in the country.
“The jackal population in Israel as a whole and in the north of the country in particular is very large, and it is a direct result of all the surplus food available to them,” said Alon.
A jackal attacks a man outside a warehouse in the northern city of Nahariya
“Unfortunately, this is the result of improper waste management… which is simply thrown in open bins and in places that are not suitable for it."
The Nahariya Municipality stated that it was acting in accordance with Nature and Parks Authority guidelines and called on its residents to ensure that their yards are clean and to dispose of waste in closed bags into garbage bins.
"These are protected wildlife that come from the open areas around the city. The only ones authorized to deal with the phenomenon are Nature and Parks Authority inspectors," the municipality noted.