CHAKWAL, Dec 8: Rabies kills 5,000 people every year in Pakistan alone, but some enthusiastic youngsters, unaware of the risk, are using hunting dogs to attack animals prone to the disease.

In Pakistan, jackals, foxes and mongooses are potential carriers of the Rabies’ virus, and using dogs to hunt these animals increases the risk of the disease being transmitted to humans.

In Chakwal, some youngsters hunt jackals for mere entertainment using hunting dogs. Initially, they used to hunt wild boars which proved to be a painstaking task, so they turned to jackals instead.

The youth in some villages gather to watch dogs fighting jackals which are tied with a rope.

The dogs attack the jackal and the latter bleeds to death in ten to fifteen minutes.

“Catching a jackal is not difficult,” says a young hunter with pride.

“We take a dog along and search for jackals at the back of poultry farms where the animals arrive in search of dead hens. We blind the jackals with the light which are then unable to see the dog coming at them. The dog is able to catch at least one jackal after a brief chase,” he adds.

After catching the jackal, the hunters take the animal to the village ground where the dogs are set loose on it.

When asked about the risk of Rabies, the hunters expressed their ignorance as they did not know jackals were potential carriers of Rabies.

“Jackals are major carriers of Rabies and villagers need to be apprised of the risk,” said Riaz Hussain, a PhD scholar in the wildlife management of Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi.

“If the practice of killing jackals with dogs continues, the disease will spread in the country while the jackals would face extinction,” he told Dawn.

When contacted, District Wildlife Officer Malik Junaid Alam said jackals were not included in the list of “protected animals” so the department could not control its hunting.