Jackals attacked at least 17 residents of Nadia’s Palashipara early on Saturday, triggering panic in the area.

Most of the victims were farmers who were attacked while they were working in the fields in Rudranagar. In one case, a jackal attacked a 75-year-old woman and her daughter-in-law when they were working in the courtyard of their home a little after dawn.

“It was early in the morning. The jackal attacked us before we could realise anything,” said Rakhi Mondal, 32, daughter-in-law of Surabala Mondal who was bitten in the head.

All the victims were taken to Tehatta sub-divisional hospital. Barring two, all the others were released after primary treatment. Hospital sources said Surabala had a sharp bite wound on her head.

The district administration said forest officials of the Tehatta range had been told to trap the jackals. However, no initiative had been taken till Saturday evening to catch the animals.

A forest official said the species most commonly found in Nadia and other parts of south Bengal was the Asiatic jackal, also known as the golden jackal.

“This species lives in a wide variety of habitats and belongs to Schedule III of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972,” the forest official said.

“Generally, jackals keep away from human habitation. It could be that the jackals are facing a food shortage and so have invaded urban human habitation,” the official said.

“Jackals are found in several areas in Tehatta subdivision close to the Jalangi and Mathabhanga rivers. Mainly they survive by eating fish and crabs. But they seldom attack human beings or enter human habitation,” the official added.