Shooting Mal court order on Sylt: Authorities given permission to shoot again
In a controversial move, a golden jackal on the North Sea island of Sylt was shot in June 2025, marking the first confirmed instance of its kind in Germany. The animal, protected under German law, was the subject of an exceptional permit issued by the State Office for the Environment in Schleswig-Holstein, following a series of attacks on local livestock and potential threats to ground-nesting bird species and coastal infrastructure.
The shooting, coordinated by around 20 to 30 local hunters, was justified under Germany's species protection regulations, which allow for intervention in specific circumstances. The jackal had reportedly killed dozens of sheep and was posing a threat to vulnerable bird species on the island. The presence of sheep is crucial for maintaining the dykes essential for coastal protection, thus protecting them indirectly supports environmental infrastructure.
However, the decision to use lethal control methods was met with significant opposition from the local community and some conservationists. They argued that the jackal, likely a lone migrant from Eastern Europe, posed limited ecological threat and suggested non-lethal alternatives such as monitoring or relocation might be preferable. The island’s community emphasized the importance of preserving the natural balance without introducing disruptive hunting tourism, reflecting broader tensions between conservation, local identity, and external intervention.
Despite the legal permission, a stay order was issued by the Schleswig Higher Administrative Court, initially prohibiting the shooting of the Sylt golden jackal. However, this order was later lifted, allowing the hunting to resume. The nature conservation association criticized the use of tranquilizer guns, stating that they had not been sufficiently tested.
The exact location of the golden jackal is currently unknown, and the Ministry of the Environment does not expect the animal to have left Sylt. Since the shooting, there have been no further reports of predation by the golden jackal. The German Hunting Association (DJV) confirmed this as the first confirmed shooting of a golden jackal in Germany.
This incident has sparked a nationwide debate, with some questioning the necessity of the shooting, as the animal could have been captured instead. The Higher Administrative Court of Germany has rejected a complaint by an environmental association, allowing the Sylt golden jackal to be hunted again. As the golden jackal continues to spread across Germany from southeastern Europe, similar incidents may become more common, and the debate over their management will likely continue.
- The controversy surrounding the Sylt golden jackal's shooting in June 2025, despite being a protected species under German law, was due to the animal allegedly killing dozens of sheep and posing a threat to vulnerable bird species and coastal infrastructure, thus affecting sports like sheep farming and birdwatching.
- The decision to hunt the Sylt golden jackal, which sparked debate nationwide, raised questions about the use of lethal control methods in sports like hunting, with some conservationists suggesting non-lethal alternatives such as monitoring or relocation might be preferable to preserve the natural balance on Sylt without introducing disruptive hunting tourism.
