Capture and rapid handling of jackals ( Canis mesomelas and Canis adustus ) without chemical immobilization

Wildlife researchers constantly strive to reduce the impact of animal handling. While catching jackals (Canis spp.) in the Serengeti for disease sampling and radiotagging, we used a technique for handling jackals that did not require chemical immobilization. Traditionally jackals have been handled after parenteral administration of drugs and have been captured using cage traps or leg-hold traps (RoweRowe & Green, 1981; Kaunda, 2001; Admasu et al., 2004; Di Concetto et al., 2004). A drawback to chemical immobilization is that recumbency, ataxia and disorientation frequently occur during recovery, and during the recovery phase the jackal must be intensively monitored to decrease the chance of injuring itself or being attacked by other predators (Di Concetto et al., 2004). The method we used does not utilize chemical immobilization and hence minimizes animal handling time and the chance of recovery accidents.