Recklinghausen/Hamm (dpa/lnw) – There is first evidence of an animal that is rare in Germany in the Ruhr area. According to the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection (Lanuv), a golden jackal was photographed by a wildlife camera near Hamm in mid-November. Gender and origin could not be determined according to the announcement on Thursday. A golden jackal was last detected in late summer 2020 in Mülheim an der Ruhr and then in Kranenburg in the Kleve district. Later, the animal, which is slightly larger than a fox, apparently moved further to the Netherlands. This has been shown by genetic evaluations.
According to Lanuv, the golden jackal is not a protected species. Its natural range extends from Asia to Europe. In 1997 there was the first evidence for Germany in Brandenburg, in 2021 the first evidence of a whole litter for Germany in Baden-Württemberg. In 2022, evidence of packs followed in Lower Saxony and again in Baden-Württemberg.
