Overview

• Since mid-May the jackal has killed nearly 100 sheep and lambs that are crucial for Sylt’s dike maintenance
• Under federal law gold jackals enjoy strict protection and authorities needed a rare exemption before permitting a kill
• Farmers and wildlife advocates remain divided over safeguarding livestock versus preserving a protected species
• Local officials had mobilized roughly 120 hunters for what would have been Germany’s first legal jackal shoot
• Experts warn that capturing and relocating the animal poses major logistical challenges without a clear release destination