A wild jackal was trapped near the air traffic control tower of the old terminal at Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.

Airport officials said that the jackal had been roaming in the operational area for the past 10 days. "We had placed six traps in the area last night and the jackal walked into one of them," said director of Biju Patnaik International Airport, R Mahalingam.

Later, forest department officials came to the animal's rescue. They said that the monkey would be released in the Chandaka sanctuary on Tuesday evening.

On April 8, a monkey had sneaked into the international terminal. The officials of Nandankanan zoo managed to catch it after six hours.

A number of stray animals were captured from the airport in the past two years. In November 2012, a wild cat was found trapped in the cage, while in September 2013, a wild jackal was found in the operational area.

In June and July 2014, two jackals were found trapped in the cage. The frequent movement of jackals in the operational area had forced the airport authorities to clean up bush and cover all the ditches.

The airport has been drawing flak from various quarters due to movement of birds in the way of the flights.

"Two weeks ago, it was a monkey that managed to enter the terminal building and now a jackal has been trapped. This shows the inefficiency of the authorities. What would happen if one such animal appears on the runway during take off and landing of flights?" said Manas Pradhan, a frequent flyer.

On the other hand, airport authorities said that they had been cleaning the bushes in the airport area frequently to prevent movement of wild animals. "We are also taking help of the forest department to solve the menace," said an airport official.

Text by Lelin Mallick

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