Goldshakal alarm: This is how the jackal spreads out in Schleswig-Holstein!

Goldshakal alarm: This is how the jackal spreads out in Schleswig-Holstein!

In Schleswig-Holstein, the authorities have a continued increase in gold jackal views. While only a confirmed case was documented in 2017, there have been five sightings of animal robbers since May 2024. Gold jackals are larger and more compact than foxes, but at the same time smaller than wolves and have a wolf -typical color. This development arouses interest, especially since the International Schakale Day 2023 was launched by Boku University Vienna to point out the spread of these animals in Europe, such as sat1regional.de reported.

Klaus Hackländer, an experienced wildlife biologist, emphasizes that these animals do not run a direct danger to people, but the increasing packs are a threat to certain wildlife, especially for floor breeders. The gold jackals, originally from Southeast Asia and Central, East and Southern Europe, first came to Germany via the Balkans, Poland and the Czech Republic in 1997. The first sighting in Schleswig-Holstein took place in the district of Dithmarschen in 2017. These animals are characterized by a yellow -gray, sometimes reddish fur, a shorter tip snout and a short bush tail. Encounters with gold jackals are rare because they are reserved and predominantly twilight. The German Wildlife Foundation advises to stay calm at such encounters, to document the location and a photo and to report the data to the responsible bodies. In most German federal states, finds of gold jackals can be detected, with the exception of Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg. Experts expect the gold jackal to establish itself in Germany over the next ten years.

Current sightings and cartographic data

The goldschakal Germany card provides an overview of the current sightings of the gold jackal in Germany and adjacent border regions. The data of this card are based on field reports, census surveys and scientific studies that were carried out in cooperation with nature conservation organizations. The last update of the card took place on April 18, 2025.

The purpose of the card is diverse: it serves as a visual instrument to display the distribution and frequency of gold jackal views, helps with the identification of hotspots, where the gold jackal can be found, and supports environmental authorities and research institutes in planning protective measures and management strategies. In addition, it enables research purposes, such as the analysis of distribution patterns and habitat preferences of the gold jackal, and offers publicly accessible information about the current status and sightings of these animals in the region.