The small, wolf-like predator walked past a well-placed wildlife camera
A golden jackal has been spotted for the first time in the province of Drenthe. The golden jackal looks like a wolf, and is genetically related, but is a lot smaller. The wolf’s smallest cousin is usually found in South-Eastern Europe, but also increasingly being noticed in Germany and Denmark
For the first time a wild golden jackal has been photographed in Drenthe. On November 22, the predator walked in front of a wildlife camera set up by Cindy de Jonge-Stegink from Assen. It’s a rare spot, because the shy animal hardly ever shows itself, as reported by RTV Drenthe.
In The Netherlands so far only two gold jackals have been recorded in the natural park ‘Veluwe’ in the center of The Netherlands in 2016 and 2017. The camera that captured the golden jackal is in a nature reserve in Drenthe. Due to the risk of disruption, De Jonge-Stegink will not disclose the exact location.
“Is it not a wolf?”
De Jonge-Stegink first thought that a wolf could be seen on the images. Aaldrik Pot from the Staatsbosbeheer looked at the photos and had doubts about that. “The animal is relatively small and has huge pointed cheeks. That was my reason to keep asking.”
Mouse nuisance
“The golden jackal is genetically related to the wolf,” says Glenn Lelieveld, coordinator of the Wolf Reporting Center of the Mammal Society. “But a golden jackal is really a lot smaller. It weighs a maximum of 15 kilos, a wolf as much as fifty. The golden jackal specialises in catching mice. The snout is much sharper than that of the wolf.”
In areas with a mouse nuisance, the golden jackal can be a natural solution. In addition, a jackal eats what is available: bait, waste and sometimes small ungulates, such as lambs or roe deer.
