Infant bitten by rabid jackal in Horana

The infant had been admitted to the Horana Base Hospital after the attack. However, the villagers in the area had killed the jackal and handed over its head to the Medical Research Institute (MRI) to check if the animal was rabid.

Meanwhile, a senior official of the Sri Lanka Wildlife Health Centre (SLWHC) said the jackal had come into the house and bitten the infant.

“It was clear that the jackal is rabiesinfected. Otherwise, jackals never chase people and bite them.” It had been reported that the rabies menace was spreading towards the Pugoda area from Horana.

“Jackal attacks take place due to misunderstandings of their behaviour. Naturally, jackals use to run away if people spot them. But in this case, they seem to chase people and attack them. These jackals could be infected with rabies,” an MRI official said.

The official requested people in the area to contact the Wildlife Department via hotline 1992 and 1991 to bring the situation under control.