2024-10-02 06:00:00
Experts expect an increasing population within the mountains. Now the animals are to be hunted.
The golden jackal is closely related to the wolf and originally comes from Asia. There has been evidence of the animals in Austria since 1987. “In a few years we can expect a similar spread to that of foxes in this country,” says Hubert Stock fromwerfen. The state’s wolf commissioner also deals intensively with golden jackals – especially since the first livestock deaths in Lungau were attributed to the predator in 2020. Since then there have been repeated confirmed cracks and suspected cases.
“We’ll just let this happen to us now”
Stock estimates the golden jackal population in Lungau at “30 to 40 animals”. Rumors of sightings are also increasing in Pongau. “We don’t have any confirmed cases yet,” he says. But until that happens, it is only a matter of time. And in Pinzgau? “We are also keeping an eye on the issue. If developments continue like this, golden jackals will appear more frequently in our area and, in addition to the wolf, there will be another problem. But we’ll let it happen for now,” says district hunter Walter Herbst. His deputy Sepp Zandl suspects that there were already “some migrants” in the district, but the issue has not yet reached virulent proportions.
Until now, the golden jackal in Salzburg was protected all year round. Due to a new regulation from the state of Salzburg (assessment deadline is October 3rd), the animals will in future be allowed to be hunted between October 1st and March 15th. Since the protection status is less strict than that of the wolf, this is possible – and is already common practice in other federal states. “That makes perfect sense. The situation will develop in a similar way to the fox,” predicts Stock. Foxes in Salzburg are currently only protected for one and a half months per year. “And they weren’t wiped out by hunting,” says the villager, who is also a hunter himself.
Foxes and golden jackals can hardly be distinguished when hunting
In any case, golden jackals target deer, sheep and goats, among other things, says Herbst. He believes that the current release of the non-native animal species from being shot is justified. And it also offers legal certainty for hunters, adds Zandl, because “foxes and golden jackals can hardly be distinguished when hunting.”
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