Jackal bites two Israelis in Jordan Valley kibbutz

Two people were bitten by a jackal on Tuesday in the northern Jordan Valley, days after a rabid jackal was captured in northern Israel.

Searches were being carried out in the area of Kibbutz Nir David to locate the animal, amid fears it could also be carrying rabies, the Walla news site reported.

No information was available about the victims, who were receiving medical care.

On Thursday, a rabid jackal was apprehended next to the Harod River, near the northern city of Afula, and diagnosed with the disease, the local Emek News reported.

On Sunday, the Kan public broadcasting channel reported sightings of another jackal behaving strangely in the cattle sheds of Kibbutz Hamadiya,  just north of the city of Beit She’an.

The Health Ministry was recommending that all Israelis — and their pets — who had contact with a wild animal, go to a local Health Ministry office to check whether preventative treatment is needed.

Relatedly, there have been ten attacks by wolves on humans in the past five months in Israel, and in most cases the animals were trying to make off with infants or babies.

The ministry is advising anyone bitten by a wild animal to wash the wound with soap and water, disinfect it and go straight to a Health Ministry office or, if outside work hours, to a hospital.

Emek News quoted Dr. Shai Rodrig, a veterinarian in northern Israel, who called on pet owners to check that their animals were vaccinated against rabies and to ensure they did not wander around unsupervised. He added that animals should only be adopted from a reliable source and after observation.