The Top Dog - Silver Backed Jackal

Masai Mara National Reserve

I think that playing the Jackass successfully and consistantly requires a high level of confidence and intelligence when it’s so calculated that a slip up would cost your life. What do you call someone who decides to mess with a male lion surrounded by other lions or taunts a pair of cheetah who will out run him in a straight line any day? A dare devil ? Well, those things are all in a day’s fun for the Silver Backed Jackal who does it all regularly just to remind everyone who he is probably.

First thing I noticed about these guys was the confidence. I found the first of their kind, strutting about the savannah like he owned it despite the size disadvantage. Pure Attitude all the way. But then, his kind have been around those parts for over 2.5 million years. Since before much else. They’ve seen evolution come and go as a species and have themselves mixed and evolved to our loyal buddy, the dog. The confidence is justified I think given that it’s their lineage that’s brought about one of the most successful evolutionary trees of history. Canidae thrive and their numbers have taken over the world because of their intelligence and understanding of loyalty, team work and even sacrifice. In the game of evolution, their decision of association with Humans has made our planet what it is today. Life in general is a lot easier for both Men and Dogs as a result and it all goes back to The Silver Backed Jackal.

The African Wild Dog and the Indian Dhole came after the Silver Backed Jackal in the same family tree, as did the Gray Wolf and Ethiopian Wolf. All of the others are now endangered despite their advantages in hunting capabilities like the Wild Dogs and Dhole who mostly never miss a target while hunting. Meanwhile, our Grandpappy is still listed as a species of least concern by the IUCN. Confidence justified, yet again.

These guys mostly live in monogamous pairs or in related family groups. Opportunistic hunting’s the family business and they have very well synced behavior. Strategy’s got to be the name of their game when even birds like Eagles can take off with their young. It doesn’t take size or strength to be successful in this world. It takes smarts and balls. I witnessed one of these guys taunting the legendary pair of cheetahs, Winda and Olyonok whose amazing story was made into a Netflix episode. My guy was getting into their space a little closer each time repeatedly just cause he wanted to (Pic : 3) and from what I heard around, they do that quite often. There’s videos out there of one these guys taking a nip at a male lions tail and scampering off. Yeah ! Cause he knows he’s smarter and will outmaneuver them. The cats don’t even try coming at them after their pranks. They know as well. The Jackal doesn’t care if we call the Lion King cause he knows he’s the only one smart enough to get you to feed him.

Jackals get the bad rep of being cowardly, opportunistic scavengers. But like most impressions that we’ve formed about most animals growing up, nothing could be further from the truth. Jackals are brave, hard as nails, loyal and most importantly; they’re an important reason for us being where we are as a species today. I seriously think it’s time we flushed those tales of big, bad wolves and evil jackals that pollute the minds of our children at an impressionable age down the toilet where they belong because those impressions are the ones most people sadly end their lives with. There’s only one big and bad in this world and it’d probably be good for its young to know facts instead of silly fiction and blind faith so that they can dodge the eventual embarrassment of generations before them.