Vadodara: Crocodiles straying into residential areas or strolling on city roads no longer cause much alarm here. But the sight of a jackal darting through the densely populated Sama area triggered panic and chaos for nearly an hour on Friday morning.For about 60 minutes, the usually quiet lanes of Sama turned into an unlikely chase track. Residents initially mistook the animal for a stray dog weaving through the neighbourhood, but soon realised it was a jackal. As the news spread, curiosity gave way to fear, prompting locals to alert the forest department.What followed was a tense pursuit through busy streets, with the animal dodging moving vehicles and disappearing into narrow bylanes. Residents watched from balconies and doorways as traffic slowed and the chase unfolded. At one point, the frightened jackal even climbed onto a building and briefly rested in a corner of a balcony.A rescue team eventually managed to corner the animal and trap it in a net, but it wriggled free and sprinted away, extending the drama further. The team continued the pursuit and finally captured the jackal.Forest officials said this was the first recorded instance of a jackal straying deep into a bustling urban locality of Vadodara.They believe the animal may have entered the city through the Vishwamitri river ravines. “It is possible that the jackal wandered into the city in search of food. Usually, these animals are very shy and do not harm humans,” said Karansinh Rajput, range forest officer, Vadodara.Officials added that the animal is a five-year-old female jackal and is in good health. “The rescue operation was successful and the jackal is completely healthy. It will be released into the forest soon,” Rajput told TOI.
