Habitat Loss Stokes Rabid Jackal Attacks In Bangladesh

Typically considered shy creatures, jackals are increasingly coming into contact with humans -- and sometimes biting them -- as their habitat shrinks (Credit: AFP)

Few in the Jahan family's remote Bangladeshi village had seen a jackal up close before the morning one stalked Musqan through the paddy fields, pounced on her, and maimed the four-year-old for life.

Violent and unprovoked attacks by rabid canines are rising around the South Asian nation due to rampant deforestation and habitat loss -- a trend experts say has been worsened by climate change.