The Gold Hunter's Nightly Quest on Sylt: Nabbing a Nocturnal Golden Jackal
Nighttime seekers scour for the elusive nocturnal golden jackal in Sylt - Nighttime searchers seek elusive Gold Jackal, a nocturnal creature of the wilderness
There's a new predator in town on the tiny German island of Sylt, and it's been causing quite a stir among the locals. This elusive creature, a golden jackal, has claimed nearly a hundred sheep and lambs as its meals since showing up on May 19th, and now the hunters have set their sights on catching it. But this isn't going to be a walk in the park, says Manfred Uekermann, deputy head of the North Friesland hunting authority. "It's a special challenge, but it's not impossible."
Shepherds on Edge
The hunt for this nocturnal, cunning beast has left the Sylt shepherds in a state of constant worry. Back at the end of May, the golden jackal made short work of 78 lambs and two ewes in three nights on a dyke, according to Keitum dyke shepherd Daniela Andersen. She manages the dyke from Morsum to Rantum, and she and her husband have a whopping 900 ewes. "Every day there's fear that something will happen again," says Daniela. Protecting her animals every night in a barn would be too stressful for the animals and may even impact their milk production, so a high fence is out of the question due to the large, publicly accessible dyke.
The golden jackal isn't only prowling the dykes; it's also been wreaking havoc in the Lister Ellenbogen nature reserve. Shepherd Jürgen Wolf-Diedrichsen has lost ten lambs in the past two weeks and reports that just as many animals have been injured. The ears of many lambs have been bitten off, and some have even sustained injuries on other parts of their bodies. Keeping all of her approximately 220 ewes and their lambs in the barn simply isn't an option, and fencing off the approximately 600-hectare area isn't feasible, either.
Shoot to Kill
The State Office for the Environment has issued a permit for the shooting of the jackal, effective as of May 19th and valid until July 31st. However, the golden jackal is not a hunt-able species in Schleswig-Holstein under normal circumstances. Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt (Greens) defends the exception permit, citing three weighty reasons: preventing further damage to livestock, the threat the animal poses to ground-nesting birds, and the unique importance of dyke sheep farming for coastal protection. It's estimated that this would be the first officially permitted and confirmed shooting of a golden jackal in Germany, according to the German Hunting Association (DJV).
Hunting the Jackal
All Sylt hunters with the correct permits can participate in the hunt for the golden jackal, states Manfred Uekermann. The Sylt hunting association consists of ten hunting grounds with about 120 hunters, including around 20 to 30 who are actively participating in the hunt for the golden jackal. Their weapons meet the legal requirements for instant kills. Stunning or capturing the jackal isn't an option, as it would require getting distressingly close to the animal using tranquilizer darts.
The golden jackal was spotted in Rantum on the night of May 19th to 20th, and hunters tried to lure it in with golden jackal calls played from speakers. "If the animal responds to the calls, you know where it is," explains Thomas Diedrichsen, the deputy leader of the hunting association. But there's no choice but to shoot the jackal, he adds. "Then we might as well give up sheep farming."
Roots of the Jackal
Originated from Southeast Asia and Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe, golden jackals have been showing up in Germany since 1997. They first arrived via the Balkans, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Now, their presence can be recorded in most German states, with several sightings happening in Schleswig-Holstein since 2017. Unlike other species, they pose no threat to humans.
- With the increasing presence of the golden jackal in Germany, especially in Schleswig-Holstein, there is a growing need for cooperation between the community, environmental protection agencies, and sportsmen to find a balance between environmental protection and the safety of domestic animals.
- As the golden jackal continues to pose a threat to sheep farming and ground-nesting birds in the Lister Ellenbogen nature reserve on the island of Sylt, it is crucial for the authorities to consider the health and the environment while deciding on the appropriate measures for this nocturnal predator.
