Black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas), Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
In the Masai Mara lives the omnivorous Black-Backed Jackal, found both here in Kenya and also 900km South, at the tip of Africa. The Jackal will often make home in a den dug by another animal and suffers threats from Eagles, Leopards and Spotted Hyenas. They are also threatened by humans, for whom they can be a major problem with relation to sheep farming. Jackals have been associated with major rabies epidemics which appear at approximate 5 year intervals. There have been (relatively ineffective) attempts to eradicate the Black-Backed Jackal using poisons and traps and they are generally not looked upon with favour.
Year: 2015
From album: African Biodiversity
Photographer: Peter Prokosch