Gold jackal kills sheep for the first time in the Netherlands | Inland

The golden jackal bit a number of sheep dead in the Ooijpolder near Nijmegen last month. The dead sheep were believed to have fallen victim to a wolf, but DNA research has shown that it was a golden jackal, according to the province of Gelderland.

The golden jackal is a new species for the Netherlands, which has not yet been established here. In the German border area near Nijmegen, there have been attacks by a golden jackal since the summer. Whether it concerns the same animal is not yet known. The Mammal Society is conducting field research in the Ooijpolder to see whether the predator is still there.

The protected golden jackal is much smaller than a wolf and has a pointed snout. The animal is very shy and is rarely seen. The golden jackal has been on the march from southeastern Europe for several years now. In the Netherlands, the golden jackal appeared in 2016 and 2017 for a camera trap in the Veluwe and in 2019 camera images of the animal were made in Drenthe. A golden jackal prefers not to attack sheep, but mainly eats rodents such as hares and coypu.

Because the golden jackal is new to the Netherlands, there is no policy yet. Gelderland does have a wolf policy, because the first wolves settled in that province. Under that policy, the damage that the sheep farmer has suffered due to the attack of the golden jackal is compensated, the province says.

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