Golden jackal on Sylt may no longer be hunted
There was no extension of the special permit for hunting the golden jackal that killed almost 80 lambs on Sylt. A court later confirmed the permit retrospectively.
The golden jackal on Sylt, held responsible for killing almost 80 lambs, could no longer be hunted from 1 August 2025.
A corresponding general decree for a special permit expired, as the State Office for the Environment announced in Kiel on Thursday.
Because there had been no sightings and no further killing incidents in recent weeks, the special permit was not extended. According to the State Office for the Environment, in May the wild animal had killed 76 lambs on Sylt within just a few days.
State of emergency over a predator
To protect the dike sheep farming on the island, which is important among other things for coastal protection, a special permit for a kill of the usually strictly protected predator followed at the beginning of June. Since then, hobby hunters on the North Sea island were allowed to shoot the jackal on sight.
However, a few days after the permit was granted, an objection to it was filed with the court – hobby hunting was therefore suspended for the time being. In June, however, the Schleswig-Holstein Administrative Court deemed the permit lawful.
In July, the Schleswig-Holstein Higher Administrative Court confirmed the exemption. For this reason, hunting was allowed to continue. The general decree was valid until 31 July.
From the fox to the wolf: the golden jackal
Golden jackals are strictly protected and may normally not be hunted. According to the state ministry, exemptions are only possible in special cases under strict conditions.
Golden jackals are larger than foxes, but noticeably smaller than wolves. Their original range extends from Southeast Asia to Southeastern Europe, though in recent decades they have also spread into Central Europe.
In Germany, an animal was first recorded in 2017. The nocturnal golden jackals, much like foxes, mostly live in small family groups. They are adaptable omnivores that feed, for example, on small to medium-sized mammals, birds, insects, carrion and berries. Genetic samples confirmed that a golden jackal had killed the lambs on Sylt.
Addendum: Court subsequently confirms the authorisation
The Schleswig Administrative Court subsequently declared the original exceptional authorisation lawful and rejected a retrospective finding of unlawfulness. However, no kill ever took place: since the authorisation expired at the end of July 2025, there have been no further sightings or kills that could be attributed to the golden jackal.
More on the political handling of the golden jackal in our Dossier on the golden jackal in Switzerland.
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