Hobby hunter shoots golden jackal in Graubünden

A few days ago, the presence of the golden jackal in Graubünden was confirmed for the first time.

Editorial team Wild beim Wild — 13 January 2016

The definitive proof came last weekend.

A hobby hunter shot a young male golden jackal in the Surselva during a mountain pass hunt by mistake, believing it to be a fox. After realising his error, the hobby hunter immediately reported himself to the wildlife wardens.

Shortly before, on 27 December 2015, such an animal had been captured in a camera trap in the Surselva. Whether it was the same animal has not been established. This does, however, confirm that the spread of this species from south-eastern Europe into central Europe is continuing naturally. For Switzerland, this is the first physical and the second photographic record, after a golden jackal was captured in several camera traps in the north-western Alps during the winter of 2011/2012.

The golden jackal is a medium-sized member of the canine family, weighing between 8 and 15 kg — placing it between the fox and the wolf in size (the animal from the Surselva weighed 11.2 kg). It has longer legs and is slightly more robust than the fox, with a shorter tail tipped in black. Its diet consists of small to medium-sized vertebrates, insects, and fruit; however, it can also prey on sheep and goats.

For many years it has been steadily expanding its range from the south-eastern Balkans into central Europe. The golden jackal has been reproducing in Austria and north-eastern Italy since 2007. The nearest known populations are found in South Tyrol. Due to this range expansion and its independent immigration, the species is classified by the Swiss federal authorities as a “native, protected species.” The hunting ordinance was therefore amended as a precautionary measure to address any potential damage, and the golden jackal was placed on an equal footing with the other protected predators — lynx, wolf and bear.

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