Overview

• The jackal was first DNA-confirmed on Sylt in mid-May after it killed 76 lambs within three days at the Lister Ellenbogen nature reserve.
• Local accounts report up to 90 sheep losses, though only the 76 incidents were verified with genetic testing.
• Schleswig-Holstein’s state environmental office granted a special exemption under federal and EU conservation laws to authorize the jackal’s cull.
• The hunt was twice halted by injunctions from the Verwaltungsgericht Schleswig and Oberverwaltungsgericht before both courts reinstated the shooting permit.
• Officials remain on standby under the permit as they await evidence on whether the jackal drowned, was struck by a vehicle or dispersed off the island.