Many consider him a little wolf, others a big fox. At first glance, the golden jackal is strikingly similar to both species. Color and shape resemble those of wolves. Its size with a shoulder height of mostly less than 50 centimeters is much closer to that of the fox, as is its weight of around 15 kilograms. Biologically, like the wolf, the golden jackal belongs to the family of dogs (Canidae). In addition to its extremely discreet way of life, this likelihood of confusion is likely to have contributed significantly to the fact that the golden jackal has been repopulating Germany for several years quietly, quietly and almost unnoticed. But now, for the first time, biologists in Baden-Württemberg have been able to reliably prove that the golden jackal has reproduced in this country. And they believe that there will be more offspring in a few months.
At the end of October in the Schwarzwald-Baar district, two golden jackals groped into a photo trap that biologists had set up there as part of the lynx and wolf monitoring. Then the puzzle came together quickly: During a targeted search in the area, experts from the Forestry Research and Research Institute in Freiburg found several piles of excrement from which they could take samples that could be used for molecular genetic purposes. The analysis showed that the two animals belong to a family group.
A third animal could also be detected by means of a genetic test from a dung heap at the Frankfurt Senckenberg Institute: a male who could be the father of one or more of the other jackals. Finally, the photo of a golden jackal puppy, which must have been born in the spring of this year, was also successful: Almost a quarter of a century after the first evidence of a golden jackal in Germany, the predator’s reproduction is also proven in this country.
Like wolves, golden jackals live in family groups that usually consist of the parents and their offspring. “It can therefore be assumed that the couple identified in the Schwarzwald-Baar district are expecting offspring themselves in the spring,” said the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment.
The animals have already made it to Denmark from Southeastern Europe
The colonization of Germany by the jackals differs from that of other animal species: the wolf has always been at home in this country and is undergoing natural repopulation just after its extinction. Other species such as raccoon dogs, rheas or raccoons, on the other hand, are so-called “alien new species” that were introduced by humans and then spread in the wild. Golden jackals, on the other hand, have not previously been native to this country, but their spread takes place without human support – as a new settlement.
For experts like Jörg Tillmann, the news of the resettlement of Germany by golden jackals does not come as a surprise. “After developments in recent years it became apparent that sooner or later there would be evidence of reproduction,” says the wildlife ecologist from the German Federal Environment Foundation, who has dealt in detail with the advance of the golden jackal.
In the past few decades the golden jackal has repeatedly attempted to spread to the north and west from its original range. That ranges from Southeast Asia through the Middle East to Southeast Europe. The closest traditional occurrences to Germany are found in Hungary. In recent years, jackals have also been found in Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands.
“Undercover” are probably a lot more jackals
For Germany, Tillmann has compiled all previous secure evidence. This results in a clear pattern of settlement with increasing speed: In July 1997 a hunter shot a supposed dog in a former opencast mining area in Brandenburg, which turned out to be the first German golden jackal. It took a decade before another animal ran into a photo trap in Germany in 2007, also in Brandenburg. After that, the interval between the proofs quickly shortened, and since 2014 observations backed up by photos or genetic evidence have been registered every year.
This golden jackal was photographed by a wildlife camera in the Bavarian Forest in 2012.
(Photo: Bavarian Forest National Park / dpa)
Ten federal states have already reported jackal evidence. In 2019 there were five within a few months. Because golden jackals are extremely shy and mostly only active at night, the secured evidence should only give a very small insight into the actual presence of the animals. “It is very likely that they are already represented here undercover to a far greater extent than we believe,” says Tillmann.
The now documented reproduction in Baden-Württemberg could, in his opinion, mark the beginning of a further spread in other parts of Germany. The ecological prerequisites for this are good: the modern agricultural landscape with many densely vegetated fields, like the many forests, offer sufficient hiding places for the shy nocturnal hunters. And the mild winters promoted the survival rate of the heat-loving animal species.
There is also plenty of food for the less demanding omnivore. Human persecution should also not be an obstacle to colonizing Germany. The European Habitats Directive lists golden jackals as a species worthy of protection, for which a “favorable conservation status” must be ensured. In Germany, golden jackals are not classified as huntable species in any of the hunting laws.
However, it is still unclear what influence new citizens have on ecosystems in this country. “So far, the influence is negligible, but if it is possible it should be carefully analyzed,” says Tillmann. The further spread can be well documented via the existing programs for monitoring wolves, lynxes and wild cats, and broadcasts from individual animals could provide information about the use of space. Knowing the exact whereabouts of individual animals could also help to find food residues and thus analyze the effects of new residents on their environment.
The main known prey includes animals such as small mammals, birds and their clutch of eggs or insects. As an omnivore, it also likes to eat berries and other fruits. Larger animals such as young deer are rarely on the menu, farm animals such as sheep only in exceptional cases. This is another reason why Tillmann does not expect a debate that is as emotionally charged as that of the wolf in the course of the further spread of the jackals in this country. “He’s too harmless for that.”