The spread of the golden jackal in Central Europe

The golden jackal (Canis aureus) is one of the most striking expanding mammals in Europe in recent decades. Starting from the Balkan Peninsula, it has appeared across much of Central Europe, and individuals have reached the Baltics and even Scandinavia.

A short history

In Hungary the species had practically disappeared by the mid-20th century. From the 1990s it reappeared, first along the southern border, and its population has grown rapidly since. Today it is common in southern Transdanubia and many parts of the Great Plain, and its dusk howling is a familiar sound in many places.

Why is it spreading?

Researchers cite several reasons:

• the decline of the wolf, formerly the jackal's natural competitor and predator;
• milder winters;
• abundant food in agricultural landscapes (rodents, carrion, crops);
• the species' flexible, omnivorous way of life.

Impact on game

The golden jackal is an opportunistic predator: besides rodents, its prey includes small game and roe deer fawns, especially during the fawning season. The extent of the impact varies by area and depends on habitat structure, prey density and the presence of other predators.

Game management measures

• Monitoring: howling surveys (call playback), trail cameras, harvest data.
• Population control within the legal framework, coordinated with fox control.
• Habitat management: reducing access to carrion and slaughter waste.

The golden jackal is now part of the native fauna, so the aim is not eradication but a balance in which small game and roe deer populations also remain sustainable.