Chasing the Shadowy Night Predator: The Golden Jackal Incursion on Sylt
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Nighttime fox hunters venture out in search of the elusive desert fox species, displaying their determination in the Sylt region. - Nighttime poachers persistently seek the elusive, gold-colored jackal species.
People on Sylt island are on the hunt for a new predator. Since May 19, this mammal has claimed the lives of 90 sheep and lambs on the island. Its remains are now to be eliminated.
The pursuit of the nocturnal golden jackal will not be an easy feat, said Manfred Uekermann, deputy head of the North Friesland hunting authority, to the German Press Agency (dpa). "This is a unique challenge, but it is not impossible." The hunters have employed professional guidance, delved into specialist literature, and now utilize loudspeakers to amplify calls for their elusive quarry.
Residents of Sylt sheep farms live in worry
A golden jackal has already taken the lives of 78 lambs and two ewes in a matter of three nights along the Keitum dyke, as the distraught shepherd informed dpa. Daniela Andersen, who manages the dyke from Morsum to Rantum, is husbanded by 900 ewes. "Every day brings fear of another attack."
She cannot constantly protect all her animals from the night predator in barns—that would stress the animals immensely and disturb their milk production. Confining them behind high fences is not feasible on the large, open-to-the-public dyke.
Golden jackal strikes in Sylt's north
The golden jackal has also shown up in Sylt's northern areas. The shepherd overseeing the Lister Ellenbogen nature reserve has lost ten lambs in the past fortnight. As many animals were harmed, said the shepherd Jürgen Wolf-Diedrichsen. In most cases, the ears were bitten off, and in some instances, he also discovered bite marks on other areas of the bodies.
He cannot shelter all his approximately 220 ewes and their lambs in barns. "That's simply impossible. I can't round them up every day, given the vast size of the area and the added stress it would cause the animals." A fence is not an option in the approximately 600-hectare area.
Golden jackal might be killed
The State Office for the Environment has issued an appropriate permit for the shooting of the jackal, as the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of the Environment announced. It took effect at the beginning of Thursday and remains valid until the end of July. Golden jackals are typically not a hunt-able species in Schleswig-Holstein.
Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt (Greens) underscored that golden jackals are an endangered species. An exemption permit for hunting demands exceptional circumstances. "In this case, there are three compelling reasons, so I back the exemption permit from the State Office for the Environment."
It would mark the first legally permitted and verified shooting of a golden jackal in Germany, as reported by the German Hunting Association (DJV).
Hunting parties on Sylt prepare
All Sylt hunters with the needed licenses can participate in the golden jackal hunt, Uekermann said. The Sylt hunting association covers ten areas with around 120 hunters, including approximately 20 to 30 who are eager to participate in the hunt. Their firearms meet the legal requirements needed to instantaneously kill the animal. Stunning and capturing it via tranquilizer darts is not an option for hunters since they have to get dangerously close to the creature.
Hunting with sounds
Thomas Diedrichsen, the deputy head of the hunting association, has coordinated the hunt. The jackal was spotted in Rantum on the night of Thursday to Friday. Hunters attempted to lure it closer with golden jackal calls emitted through speakers.
"If the animal responds to the calls, we know where it is," said the hunter. Otherwise, there would be little choice but to give up sheep farming.
Golden jackals on the march
Golden jackals trace their origins from Southeast Asia and Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe, according to the German Wildlife Foundation. The first animals arrived in Germany in 1997 via the Balkans, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Now, records of golden jackals have emerged in most German states. Unlike livestock, they pose no threat to humans.
Sylt's recent sighting marks the first appearance of this species in Schleswig-Holstein. Since the initial sighting in 2017 in Dithmarschen district, the number of cases in the state has increased. There were five sightings alone between May 2024 and April 2025, as the Ministry of Environment in Kiel announced mid-April. Schleswig-Holstein presents an alluring environment for the golden jackal.
- The community on Sylt island is collaborating on a novel endeavor – they are working to protect their livestock from the threats posed by the golden jackal, an endangered species that has recently moved into their area, as evidenced by the numerous attacks on their sheep and lambs.
- In an effort to safeguard the health and well-being of their environmental resources and the livestock they rely on, Sylt residents are seeking environmental protection measures, including aid for the control and management of golden jackal populations, in order to maintain a balance between wildlife conservation and the needs of their community.
