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Germany Authorizes Goldschakal Hunt on Sylt as Jackal Reaches Rheinland-Pfalz

DNA evidence of nearly 90 sheep deaths on Sylt prompted Schleswig-Holstein to grant a rare exemption permit for a targeted hunt

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Auf die Schafe hat es der Goldschakal abgesehen
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Die Zahl der Goldschakal-Sichtungen steigt seit Jahren in Deutschland

Overview

  • Around 90 sheep and lambs have been killed on Sylt since May 19, overwhelming local shepherds who cannot pen their flocks overnight.
  • Schleswig-Holstein’s Umweltministerium issued an artenschutzrechtliche Ausnahmegenehmigung, mobilizing about 130 licensed hunters to track the protected jackal through July.
  • Camera trap images in the Pfälzerwald delivered the first confirmed Goldschakal sighting in Rheinland-Pfalz, signaling its north-western range expansion.
  • DNA analysis of fur and tissue samples from attack sites established that a single Goldschakal was responsible for the livestock losses.
  • Researchers warn that the adaptable Goldschakal, originally from Southeast Europe, has steadily spread across Central and Northern Europe since its 1997 debut in Brandenburg.