Overview

• An exceptional hunting permit issued by the Schleswig-Holstein environmental ministry on June 5 allows the shooting of the protected goldschakal until July 31 under strict conditions.
• About 20 to 30 volunteer hunters from Sylt are conducting nocturnal patrols, and officials have rejected involvement from outside hunting enthusiasts.
• Genetic tests confirmed the goldschakal has killed roughly 90 sheep and lambs since mid-May, exhibiting a surplus-killing pattern that also threatens ground-nesting birds.
• The potential first confirmed shooting of a goldschakal in Germany has highlighted the challenge of balancing species protection with the island’s agricultural interests.
• Officials say the goldschakal likely crossed the Hindenburg Dam to reach the island and remains protected under the Federal Species Protection Ordinance despite the permit.