A Zimbabwe Farmers' Union specialist said jackals sometimes feed on cottonseed because of its appealing flavor.
Jackals are devouring the crops of several northern Zimbabwe farmers in the wake of devastating hailstorms just two weeks earlier.
The Herald reports the canines have turned to cotton crops instead of their usual diet of dead carcasses and small animals.
“My cotton is at boll formation stage and these dogs eat up the green bolls,” Julius Bunda of Bunda village told the Zimbabwe daily.
Some farmers say they have tried leaving poisoned meat and hides out to kill the jackals, but the bait instead killed their own dogs.
Other farmers have resorted to sleeping in their fields and lighting fires to deter the animal raids.
Chief Nematombo, who presides over the region, said the spirits are very angry that his people are not honoring traditional values, leading to a wrath of hailstorms and jackals.
Photo: Earthbrowser