Paaltjies jackals confused with ‘pavement specials’

A FAMILY of black-backed jackals at the ‘Paaltjies’ angling spot near Walvis Bay made news in South Africa after it was thought that they may be a cross between a jackal mother and dog father.

They were even called ‘hakkals’, which is an Afrikaans combination of ‘hond’ (dog) and ‘jakkals’ (jackal).
The story hit the papers after a picture of an adult jackal watching over its litter of cubs – which looked like puppies because of their ‘floppy’ ears – were sent from Walvis Bay.
According to Jeanne Meintjies of Eco Marine Kayak Tours, the photo was taken nearly four weeks ago by one of her customers. In the meantime, the cubs have grown up ‘and look pretty much like jackals’.
‘They’re definitely not dogs, and there is definitely no adult dog involved. We often go there with tourists, and the parents – both jackals – come to the car. They’ve been around for some time and are quite tame,’ Meintjies told The Namibian.
She said this was not the first litter the pair have had at Paaltjies. There were cubs last year too.
According to her, the latest litter consisted of four cubs which lived under one of the toilets at Paaltjies.
‘There are only three now. We have seen them.
Their ears are now standing upright just like their parents’ ears. We understand that one of the cubs was killed by a large dog while someone was taking it for a walk,’ she said.
Several local and South African veterinary experts commented that cross-breeding between jackals and dogs is not impossible, but is very rare. In fact, less than a handful of cases have been reported to date.

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