Jackal bites baby's face near Mitzpe Ramon in the Negev

A one-year-old toddler was moderately wounded Saturday night after he was bitten by a jackal in Mitzpe Ramon, according to Israeli media. His condition is now listed as mild.

Magen David Adom (MDA) treated him and evacuated him to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, where he was in moderate condition with bite marks on his face.

His father said that when he left the tent at night, he left an opening. Shortly thereafter, he heard his wife shouting that the baby was gone and saw a jackal pulling the baby away from the tent.

Searches are still underway to locate the jackal. 

MDA paramedic at the scene

"We saw, near the tents where the travelers were sleeping, a man in his thirties holding a one-year-old baby with bite marks on his neck and face, and signs of an animal's jaw grip. The baby was suffering from deep penetrating wounds and bruises, but was fully conscious and in pain. We urgently evacuated him to the hospital, where his condition is described as moderate and stable," an MDA paramedic who arrived at the scene reported.

The paramedic added that he had never seen such a "bizarre incident" in his life.

This is the second time in a month and a half that the paramedic has had to treat a child during a camping trip in the Negev. The Nature and Parks Authority stated that these are very rare cases. Wolves and jackals are afraid of humans and mainly move around in search food.

However, in a similar incident a month and a half ago, a wolf dragged a 9-year-old girl for 10 to 15 meters by her hair from the tent where she was staying in a national park near Dimona.

The girl who was bitten told Israeli media that the wolf tore the net of the tent at approximately 2:30 in the morning and dragged her by the braid. The girl's father chased the wolf away, and then the wolf was caught and killed.