DEHRADUN: After Italy, where the first known discovery of crossbreeding between pet dogs and golden jackals was reported in 2015, one such case has been reported in the forests adjoining Haldwani in the Nainital district. While wildlife photographer Dipankar Khulbe spotted the breed for the first time and captured it on camera, Dr G S Rawat, former director of the Wildlife Institute of India, endorsed that such cases have been reported in eastern Uttar Pradesh in the past.
This amazing animal is being seen by wildlife photographer Dipankar Khulbe as the origin of the cross breed of jackal and dog named “Doja”. The jackal-dog hybrid is a canid hybrid that results from mating between the domestic dog and the golden jackal.
Padma Shri awardee Anoop Shah, who has done an in-depth research work in this field, has also confirmed that it is a rare breed spotted here after Italy in 2015. Nainital resident Padma Shri Shah told this newspaper, “In 2015, hunters brought the carcass of a jackal near Italy and conducted a post-mortem and found that it was a cross of dog and jackal”. Shah termed it as a “rare occurrence” in his last 45 years of experience. “In India, it has been first seen a few years ago near eastern Uttar Pradesh and later near Haldwani,” added Shah.