Jackals in Netherlands? Crispus NGO Sibiu analysis

A golden jackal wants to start a business in the Netherlands, but he does not have Dutch nationality!

by Ovidiu C. Banea

Many Baltic and Northern countries are now challenging with the arrival of a new species on their lands and Sea coasts. After Estonia and Latvia, jackal are seen in Lithuania, Poland and even in Denmark or Netherlands.

On 25th of February 2016, Edgar van der Grift, Senior Research Scientist of Wageningen UR, Alterra Environmental Science Group (Animal Ecology) sent three photos informing on a possible jackal record in Netherlands to Ing. Martin Šálek, Ph.D. from the Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. Then, GOJAGE members received the photos and the photografies were identified as belonging to the European golden jackal species.

To assess this species report, out of its known range, members of Crispus NGO Sibiu Romania performed a key-analysis using the new GOJAGE Guidelines, and Expert/Non-Expert Criteria from the last technical report published in GOJAGE e-Bulletin (Hatlauf et al 2016).

According to the Expert/Non-Expert Criteria this new report is valid and in this moment belongs to C3 category (Weak Evidence). 

Using GOJAGE guidelines (the end worksheet table) the report could be rised to C1 (Strong Evidence) only if the expert woul be invited to make an analysis of ecological factors and perfom other methods. 

Mass-media in Netherlands announced this report informing that specimen could arrived crossing the border, escaped from a zoo or abandoned. The team of Alterra Environmental Science Group announced that they will continue to investigate species ecology in Netherlands. The fieldwork and phototrapping was organized for ungulates studies and the administration of the natural area didn´t want to inform on exact location of the report. The possible area of this report is located in Veluwe Heathlands National Park.