Black-backed jackal gnawing on carcass remains, botswana Caption: Black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas) gnaws on the remains of an impala carcass, Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana.

Camera: Canon EOS 50D; Lens: Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM; Focal length: 400mm; Shutter speed: 1/500; Aperture: f/5.6; ISO 400

While out on an afternoon game drive in Mashatu Game Reserve, we saw a black-backed jackal some distance away, apparently burying some fresh animal bones under a small tree.

Our safari guide, Mollman, wasted no time in scanning the surrounding area through his binoculars, looking for the source of the bones. A few minutes later we drove off in the direction of the jackal, to be rewarded shortly afterwards by the sighting of a cheetah and her sub-adult cub.

Both the cheetah were resting in the shade, looking contented and well-fed. Not far from where they lay, we could see two jackals gnawing on the remains of an impala that the cheetah had previously brought down. Once the cheetah had eaten their fill, they’d moved off and abandoned the rest of the carcass, which was immediately claimed by the jackals.

The picture above shows the one jackal making the most of this free meal, provided courtesy of the cheetah and her cub. So another fruitful game drive, with good views of two cheetah plus feeding jackals, thanks to the expertise of our bush-wise safari guide.

If you’d like to know more about these members of the dog family (canidae), see our article, Black-backed Jackal Information.

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+Scotch Macaskill

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Filed under: Other Mammals