The jackal is said to have been attacked for its meat and teeth. (Photo: India Today)
In a shocking incident in Tamil Nadu's Tiruchirappalli, authorities have arrested a gang which used explosives to kill a jackal.
The forest department arrested 12 Narikuravars for killing a jackal using explosives near Jeeyapuram. The Narikuravar is an indigenous community from Tamil Nadu.
The main occupation of the people, who originally belong to the indigenous tribes, is hunting.
The jackal reportedly consumed meat which was stuffed with explosives. Eating the meat led to the jackal’s jaws being ripped open because of the explosive. The jackal is said to have been attacked for its meat and teeth.
There have been multiple incidents of animals being attacked for their meat, teeth or claws.
Vijayaragavan, a police constable who found the 12 people in suspicious circumstances at a tea shop, started probing them and in the process found the jackal’s carcass in a bag.
The accused have been identified as Ramraj (21), Saravanan (25), Yesudas (34), Sarathkumar (28), Devadas (41), Pandian (31), Vijayakumar (38), Sathyamoorthy (36), Sarathkumar (26), Rajamanikam (70), Raju (45), and Patampillai (78).
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Authorities on Monday arrested twelve people in Tamil Nadu, India after a  died trying to eat a bomb embedded in meat that subsequently exploded. Jackals are protected in India.
File photo of a jackal.
Officials said a police constable, reportedly one Vijayaragavan, saw the twelve with the dead jackal in , decided to question them after they aroused suspicion at a tea stall, and learned they were responsible for the jackal's death.  The forestry department arrested them.  According to local news sources, the constable found the jackal's bagged carcass after inquiring.

The suspects range in age from 21 to 78 and were identified as  from the village of Poolangudi.  They were taken into the custody of the forestry department. Authorities said the killing occurred in  forest in a bid to gain jackal meat and teeth.

The  lists jackals as a protected species. India's jackals face attention from poachers, who sell the parts. One study in the '''' from March noted authorities seized 126 skins, eight tails, 16 skulls and two live jackals from 2013 to 2019. The same study also noted over 370 "jackal horns" seized in the same period. Jackal horns are crafted from skulls of jackals and are considered .

Last week, in the neighbouring state of Kerala, one suspect was arrested in connection with the death of a pregnant female elephant suffering from explosive injuries.  Authorities said they believed a fruit filled with firecrackers had exploded in the elephant's mouth, damaging her jaw and ultimately leading to her death.