The shooting of the Sylt golden jackal is not permitted for the time being

The golden jackal that killed lambs on Sylt may not be shot for the time being.

The Schleswig Administrative Court issued a corresponding so-called interim suspension order. A spokeswoman stated that this does not yet constitute a decision in the expedited proceedings.

A nature conservation association had challenged the exemption permit issued by the State Environment Agency before the court. The interim suspension order is intended to ensure that no irreversible facts are created before a decision on the matter is reached. The case files must first be reviewed.

State agency had granted an exemption permit under species protection law

On Sylt, hobby hunters had already begun searching for the animal, which is said to have killed at least 90 sheep and lambs since 19 May. The State Environment Agency subsequently issued an exemption permit under species protection law authorising the killing.

The golden jackal is a protected species. Golden jackals have migrated from south-eastern Europe to the north and west and are now also present in several regions of Germany.

NABU in favour of «removal», WWF against it

In early June, NABU shared the district hunting master's assessment that the prompt shooting of this golden jackal was necessary and approved the hunt. According to NABU's statement, «given the undesirable learned behaviour of this golden jackal, it must be expected that the animal will continue to cause serious damage to sheep populations on the island of Sylt in the future.»

The conservation organization WWF, by contrast, criticized the initially granted hunting permit for the golden jackal on Sylt. There was no reliable research showing that the golden jackal has a negative impact on ground-nesting birds. Furthermore, it was unclear whether the sighting involved one or several animals. According to experts, a golden jackal can typically give birth to three to five young.