Gold jackal on Sylt: Hunting permit ensures violent debate!

Gold jackal on Sylt: Hunting permit ensures violent debate!

In the past few weeks, the gold jackal on Sylt has caused a lot of excitement. A worrying picture has been emerging since May 19: over 90 sheep, including many lambs, have been killed by these wild animals. This led to the actions of the State Office for the Environment in Schleswig-Holstein, which on June 5 gave a special protection permit, which is valid until July 31. This approval enables the gold jackal to be launched, especially during the breeding and setting time, a significant danger to local agriculture, especially for dike sheet, which is important for coastal protection. According to reports from Welt , however, the WWF questions the approval. They criticize that there is a lack of resilient research that shows the negative influence of these wild animals on floor breeders.

The discussion about the shooting permit is anything but trivial. Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt (Greens) have cited several reasons that speak for the shooting. This includes the protection of farm animals, the endangerment of floor fries and the role of the dike sheep for coastal protection. However, the nature conservation associations show shared opinion: While some agree to the shooting, others consider the reasons to be questionable. Comparisons to similar applications for the wolf, which were declared by courts as inadmissible, illustrate the complexity of this topic.

The situation on Sylt

like the Tagesschau , the gold jack, which was active on Friday, June 6th, was again responsible for the injury and killing of a lamb. Affected shepherds try to protect their animals by alerting hunters and on the trail of the gold jackal with night vision devices. The experience of the hunters also suggests that it will be a challenge to kill the animal because it is nocturnal and very odor -sensitive. According to Manfred Uekermann, the deputy district hunter, the hunt for this newcomer will be a real test of patience for the hunters involved.

The controversial hunting for the gold jackal also has a broader social dimension. Wildlife ecologist Felix Böcker emphasizes that the gold jackal is not a direct danger for people. However, he represents a threat to pasture and farm animals. So it would always happen that the gold jackal kills more prey than it actually eats- a behavior that is known as "Surplus Killing". On Sylt, the devastating consequences for sheep posture could have.

A new resident in Germany

gold jackals, which originally come from the Middle East and Asia, are a relatively new appearance in Germany that came to the island via the Hindenburgdamm. The first confirmed evidence comes from 1997. In the meantime, they have spread in various federal states, including Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg. Your behavior and adaptability make it easy for you to integrate into new habitats. Your population in Europe is estimated at around 150,000, while the number of wolves is around 23,000.

The hunt for the gold jackal in Germany could become more controversial in the future. As the WWF explains, the legal situation has not yet been sufficiently clarified in order to legitimize such an action across the board. Critics emphasize the lack of extensive research on the effects of withdrawing individual animals on the overall population. It remains to be seen whether the measure is fruitful or whether it only leads to a short -term 解决. However, one thing is certain: in the debate about the gold jack on Sylt, the last word is not yet spoken.