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Golden Jackal Was Confirmed for the First Time in Germany’s Biberach District

Two golden jackals standing in natural habitat
Conservation · Population & status

A golden jackal (Canis aureus) has been confirmed for the first time in the Biberach district of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany. The district authority reported the record in late January 2026 after the Forest Research Institute of Baden-Württemberg (FVA) verified a photograph of the animal as secure evidence.

The record came from within the district. The authorities describe the golden jackal as a protected species in Germany that has been extending its range naturally into Central Europe. They also emphasise that the species is shy, generally avoids people and is not considered a danger to humans.

The first verified golden jackal in Baden-Württemberg was recorded in 2018. Since then, the FVA has documented the species repeatedly as part of the state’s wildlife monitoring programme.

A territorial male was recorded in Ravensburg district in 2020 and 2021. In 2021, a pair and subsequent reproduction were documented in the Schwarzwald-Baar district, providing the first confirmed golden jackal reproduction in Germany. Young were again recorded there in later years, and reproduction was also confirmed in Konstanz district in 2024.

The FVA continues to collect observations through the state wildlife-monitoring programme. People who encounter a possible golden jackal are asked to submit photographs and location data so that records can be verified.

Sources and image credit

  1. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. (2026, January 30). Goldschakal streift nun auch durch den Kreis Biberach. Die Zeit.
  2. Landratsamt Biberach. (2026, February 6). Erster Goldschakal im Landkreis Biberach nachgewiesen. Amtsblatt Gutenzell-Hürbel.
  3. Forstliche Versuchs- und Forschungsanstalt Baden-Württemberg. (n.d.). Der Goldschakal in Baden-Württemberg.

Image: Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi / Wikimedia Commons. Two golden jackals in Chandraprabha Wildlife Sanctuary, India, 6 January 2017; illustrative photograph, not the Biberach animal. · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

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