Overview

• Online voting is open through October 2 to people living in Germany who are 18 or older.
• Voters can choose among the golden jackal, red deer and stoat, three species associated with open landscapes such as meadows, pastures and field margins.
• The stoat, Germany’s second-smallest carnivore, faces pressure from intensive agriculture and simplified habitats.
• The golden jackal has expanded into Germany since its first record in 1997, with a May incident on Sylt involving sheep predation and no further losses reported there.
• The red deer’s genetic diversity is hindered by legally defined red deer districts and road-driven fragmentation that isolate populations and block wider movements.